Maharashtra Covid: Weekly positivity rate down, lockdown-like restrictions make impact

Most experts with the state Covid-19 task force, however, said it was unlikely that restrictions would be relaxed immediately, and that a decision to relax lockdown would have to be taken according to district.

While districts like Satara, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad and Hingoli are of concern, as positivity rate is higher than the state average, there is some hope as trends also point to a steady decline. (PTI Photo)

Weekly COVID-19 positivity rate in the state has reduced and now stands at 10.46 per cent. Data of the Covid-19 situation in Maharashtra, which was presented at the state cabinet meeting on Thursday, showed that there had been a significant impact due to lockdown-like restrictions.

However, restrictions will be eased in a mindful manner, based on sound public health principles, said Dr Shashank Joshi, expert on the state Covid task force. “We don’t want a yo-yo effect,” he said.

For instance, in the week from May 19 to 25, weekly positivity rate of Maharashtra was 11.06 per cent as against 24.26 per cent in the week from April 28 to May 4. While districts like Satara, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad and Hingoli are of concern, as positivity rate is higher than the state average, there is some hope as trends also point to a steady decline.

According to a state analysis, weekly Covid positivity rate in Satara was 34.37 per cent in the week from April 28 to May 4, which has come down to 21.93 per cent in the week from May 19 to 25. At Raigad too, positivity rate was 25.01 per cent in the week from April 28 to May 4, which has now declined to 18.69 per cent (May 19 to 25).

Read | Maharashtra lockdown to continue, some relaxations likely

State surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate told The Indian Express that this was a significant declining trend. There are at least 22 to 24 districts where weekly positivity rate has dropped. Even in districts with higher positivity rate, there is now a decline.

Among other districts that have a higher weekly positivity rate than the state average are Kolhapur (16.85 per cent), Osmanabad (16.22 per cent), Pune (16.16 per cent), Sangli (15.47 per cent), Beed (13.48 per cent), Amravati (12.8 per cent), Thane (11.91 per cent), Akola (11.74 per cent) and Gadchiroli (10.75 per cent).

Dr Joshi, however, said some districts were of concern. “There are some that have shown improvement, but we still need a test positivity rate of less than 5 per cent. We need to continue the vaccination programme and ensure that there is no crowding. The current variant is a cluster spreading one, we have to double mask and educate and ensure containment in districts,” he said.

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He also said the dynamics of each district were different and it will be decided by local and state teams on the kind of restrictions required. “We do not want a springboard effect. A classic example is Amravati, where there were restrictions early on, but once they were eased we saw a springboard effect and more cases. While vaccination will take time, we need to be responsible in terms of behavioural, mitigation and containment strategies,” he added.

Till Wednesday, the state had 3,14,368 active Covid cases, of which 36.5 per cent were hospital admissions. At least 54,680 patients are critical, of which 19,465 are in intensive care units. Of these, 7,023 require ventilator support, according to the state health department data.

Most experts with the state Covid-19 task force, however, said it was unlikely that restrictions would be relaxed immediately, and that a decision to relax lockdown would have to be taken according to district.

Pune continues to have the highest number of active cases across 10 districts in the state. According to data, till May 26, there were 45,655 active cases in Pune, followed by 28,074 in Mumbai, 21,949 in Thane and 19,958 in Satara. There are 16,962 active cases in Kolhapur. Nagpur, Sangli, Solapur, Nashik and Ahmednagar are among the 10 districts with highest active cases.

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On the vaccination front, a total of 2.13 crore doses have been administered in the state till May 26. A total of 44.31 lakh beneficiaries have received both jabs.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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