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COVID-19: Maharashtra predicts 3 lakh active cases and 1,000 daily deaths in April

A senior critical care physician said these were conservative projections as Maharashtra has added more than a lakh cases in the last three to four days. As per the cases, the state has adequate non-oxygen beds, ICU beds and ventilators.

COVID-19: Maharashtra predicts 3 lakh active cases and 1,000 daily deaths in April
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A survey by the public health department suggested that the active cases in Maharashtra could exceed up to three lakhs by April 4, if the treatment facilities in several districts, especially Nagpur and Thane, do not scale up.

As of Wednesday, March 25, the state had reported 2,47,299 active cases and 53,684 deaths.

The future caseload is predicated on the current surge. However, the forecast signals an alarming rise in fatalities, with toll spiralling beyond 64,000 over the next 11 days.

Using a cumulative case fatality rate of 2.27 per cent -- a figure based on all deaths since the March 2020 outbreak – the department has arrived at 64,613 possible mortalities against a total caseload of 28,24,382. This means, there is a possibility of up to 1,000 deaths a day over the next two weeks.

According to reports, weekly death rate has been under one per cent since February. It has come to light that death rates are low because patient management is better than what it was last year. The disease appears to be less virulent now though more transmissible.

Officials suggest that Nagpur and Thane may prove unequal to the task unless they build up an inventory of beds in the thousands over the next 11 days.

A senior critical care physician said these were conservative projections as Maharashtra has added more than a lakh cases in the last three to four days.

As per the cases, the state has adequate non-oxygen beds, ICU beds and ventilators, but needs to be outfitted with nearly 4,000 more beds with oxygen support.

All bed allocation in dedicated COVID Hospitals and Health Centres must be based on clinical condition of the patient and no other consideration, said an official. Those who have recovered and have no fever, cough for three days and have more than 95 per cent oxygen saturation should be promptly shifted to stand-down COVID Care Centres, official added.

Earlier, Health minister Rajesh Tope had said that more than 80 per cent of cases are asymptomatic and are treatable at home.

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