Cabinet expects 10,32,666 patients by May 2

CM reviews Covid-19 situation, asks officials to ramp up healthcare infra in view of Covid tsunami

On a day when new 62,097 COVID 19 cases, 519 deaths and 6,83,856 active cases were reported in Maharashtra, the state cabinet on Tuesday predicted the number of active cases will surge to 10,32,666 by May 2 putting a tremendous pressure on the existing health infrastructure.

The state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reviewed the present COVID 19 crisis and agreed that there is need for strengthening, upgradation of the health facilities and also on the optimum utilization of existing infrastructure in order to treat the rising COVID 19 patients.

The public health department in its presentation said the daily rate of patients has been 1.71% (on weekly average), doubling rate is 40.58 days, recovery rate is 81.04%, fatality rate is 1.55% and 1,84,924 tests per million were conducted in the state. During April 1 to 19, a total of 10,85,196 patients were added while death rate was 0.54%. Maharashtra ranked 18th in terms of daily rise in patients at 1.53%.

According to the department, Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Latur, Bhandara, Chandrapur and Aurangabad have 4,91,016 active patients of

the total 6,76,520 as on

April 19.

As far as the health infrastructure is concerned, there are 3,91,530 isolation beds excluding ICU, 257549 isolation beds for COVID 19 patients, 133874 for suspected COVID 19 patients, 72,869 oxygen beds, 24,986 ICU beds, 10629 ventilator beds, 1177119 PPE kits and 1926631 N95 masks.

The department has projected if the cases will continue to increase at the present space the health infrastructure will be exhausted and the gover nment will have to struggle to treat the patients and mobilise oxygen, ventilators and medicines on a war footing.

As far as the availability of vaccination doses are concerned, the state has so far received 1,36,66,780 of which 1,18,23,560 were Covishield and 18,43,220 were Covaxin.

Cumulatively, Maharashtra continues to be top among other states with the vaccination of 1,26,50,266 as on April 20.