MUMBAI: Covid-19 cases hit a 42-day high on Friday as the city saw a second spike this week. Mumbai reported 871 cases of Covid-19, the highest single-day count after July 1 (978 cases). On Wednesday, the city had recorded 852 cases, the highest in weeks. Till then, cases averaged around 380.
Active cases of coronavirus infection have increased by 125% since the beginning of August. The rise in cases also pushed up the daily positivity rate to nearly 10% (9.4%) on Friday. Around 40 people were hospitalised across city Covid hospitals, but ICU occupancy continued to be low. As of Friday, a little over 1% (317) of Covid beds were occupied. Currently, 13 patients are on ventilator.
Dr Rahul Pandit, a member of the Covid task force, said that till hospital admissions are not witnessing a notable rise, there should not be cause for concern. He attributed the rise in cases to the highest testing numbers. "There is a rise in H1N1 influenza. In addition, a lot of people are coming with flu-like symptoms, which has pushed up the number of Covid tests being carried out," he said.
A civic official said that of the 871 cases found, up to 95% were asymptomatic. The sole person to die was a 58-year-old with a history of liver disease.
On Friday, Maharashtra registered a marginal rise in cases. The state recorded 1,975 fresh cases.
