Written By: Satata Karmakar | Updated : June 7, 2022 10:33 AM IST
Is Mumbai The Epicentre For 4th Wave of COVID-19? City Logs 50% Jump In Daily Cases In 5 Days
With a 50 per cent jump in daily COVID-19 cases in just 5 days, is Mumbai already fighting the fourth wave of coronavirus? Maharashtra, the worst-hit state in the past few waves of the pandemic is witnessing a sudden surge in COVID cases for the past week, with Mumbai logging the most number of cases. According to the reports, the city has logged the highest number of cases this year in the last 5 days. March (1,519), almost 60% of the April cases (1,795) and over 50% of the May burden (5838). Now, this sudden spike in the daily cases has given rise to the question of whether Mumbai is becoming the epicentre for the 4th COVID wave?
TheHealthSite.com spoke to experts to understand the answer to the above question. According to the experts, this spike in the cases is not a sign of any fourth wave of COVID-19. Explaining the statement, Dr Sudhakar Manoranjan, said that the current variant that is circulating in the state is Omicron, and most people have already gained immunity against the variant. "The dominant variant omicron was present in the state since 2021. The city has recorded 20,000 cases every day due to this variant. So catching a severe infection for the second time is highly unlikely."
Trend graph of Mumbai shows a silent wave ,mild omicron variants. Protect Vulnerables ,Keep close watch on hospitalization, Covid-19 appropriate recommended esp in indoor closed environments Avoid crowding.Make Masking a health habit .Stay Vigilant without panic . pic.twitter.com/mi7gOfstxT
Dr. Shashank Joshi (@AskDrShashank) June 1, 2022
India was witnessing a steady drop in the daily COVID-19 cases, but suddenly there is a spike. What went wrong? what triggered the sudden surge in the COVID cases?
Speaking to the news agency ANI, Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor at the Centre for Community Medicine dept at AIIMS, Delhi, said, "The number of cases might increase which doesn't matter much as RNA virus keeps mutating. Increased severity & death toll matters, which is unlikely." He further explained the reason behind the sudden surge, Rai told news agency ANI, "these types of viruses don't end quickly and fluctuations will keep happening. We should move toward normalcy." And, he further assured us that as compared to the second and third waves, the situation in our country can be considered great right now.
The last two and a half years have taught the common people how the virus mutates and forms new variants. The trends of the virus have also enabled people to know the importance of wearing a mask and keeping their hands sanitized. A majority of the people in the country are also vaccinated against the virus, making it less of a severe threat. Talking about the preparedness of Mumbai in order to handle a future fourth wave, the Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Chahal on Friday said that he has asked the civic body officials to amp up their measures to combat the sudden surge of Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra's capital city. He attributed this decision to the fact that the city's infection has reached 8%, which is a warning sign.
(With inputs from agencies)
