MUMBAI: Though cases in all 36 districts of Maharashtra have jumped during the second wave, 21 of them have had both cases and deaths rising. The state has surpassed last year’s case tally of 19.32 lakh to reach 36.69lakh, but overall confirmed deaths so far this year (39,691) continue to be less than last year’s 49,521. Of the 21 districts that bucked this trend, 11 had more than 100% rise in deaths. Chandrapur in the Vidarbha region registered a near three-fold rise in deaths as cases rose from 23,245 last year to 61,390 this year. From 389, deaths this year increased to 949. Case fatality rate has dipped though from 1.55%. Not too far away in Amravati, believed to be the starting point of the second wave, deaths rose from 381 to 951 in the second wave as positive cases trebled to touch 66,351. Other districts with similar rise in fatality numbers are Sindhudurg, Washim, Gondia, Wardha, Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani. Former dean of KEM Hospital Dr Avinash Supe, who heads the MMR’s death audit committee, said numbers do indicate that some districts have been hit hard as deaths continue to mount. “Many districts like Amravati are seeing two waves, one of cases followed by a wave of deaths. There is a gap of 2-3 weeks between the two. Worryingly, some of the districts are still simmering,” he said. A senior BMC doctor told TOI that the state must not rejoice a lower CFR since the virus has not yet run its course. The state’s CFR in the second wave is 1.08% compared to 2020’s 2.56%. “The drop in deaths in the mega cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Nagpur has pulled down the state CFR, but smaller and neglected districts have been hit hard,” he said. In Mumbai, where cases have grown from 2.93lakh to 4.04lakh, deaths have dropped from 11,116 to 3,497. Similarly, in Thane, deaths dropped from 5,577 to 2,385 and Pune from 7,767 to 3,730. A Gadchiroli official said medical knowhow in cities has not percolated to the rest of the state. For the third wave, Dr Bang has suggested that communities and villages should be empowered to manage coronavirus.
21 Maha districts register big jump in deaths
