Pune reports fewer than 10 Covid cases this week, Experts say no reason to panic

This is in keeping with the countrywide trend of declining cases, district health officer Dr Bhagwan Pawar said. “We have also ensured most people in the district are vaccinated against Covid-19 with the first two doses and the booster dose as well,” he added.

With Covid cases on the rise in several countries, including China, the Union health ministry raised an alert Tuesday and directed states and Union territories to sequence all positive case samples daily.

Health experts said there was no reason for panic in India but it was pertinent to stay alert and ensure that senior citizens and those with comorbid conditions are protected. They advocated for masks in public places and the administration of booster doses.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Pune reported 15.06 lakh Covid infections and 19,754 deaths. Of these 6.8 lakh cases were from Pune city, 3.7 lakh from Pimpri-Chinchwad and the remaining from the municipal council and rural areas of the district.

Of the 19,754 deaths reported by Pune district health authorities, 9,410 were from Pune city, 3,899 from Pimpri-Chinchwad and the rest from municipal council, cantonment and rural areas. Dr Pawar said they were testing around 200-250 samples daily.

In Maharashtra, no Covid deaths have been reported for a while and the case fatality rate (number of deaths per 100 Covid cases) is 1.82. A state health department update on the Covid situation reported over 81 lakh covid infections since the beginning of the pandemic and 1.48 lakh deaths.