A recent analysis of the spread of the coronavirus across Maharashtra is now showing that the virus is spreading more rapidly across semi-urban areas or smaller towns than in metropolitan regions like Mumbai, Thane, Pune, and so on. It is important to note that these smaller regions usually don’t have adequate health infrastructure, making matters even more concerning for the local officials.
Districts like Ahmednagar, Beed, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Osmanabad, Parbhani, and others are seeing COVID-19 cases growing faster than the state average. On the other hand, 8 districts of Maharashtra which include Mumbai, Palghar, Pune, Raigad, Thane, and others are seeing a lower growth rate of the coronavirus than the state’s average.
Particularly, districts belonging to the Marathwada region are also reporting a spike in COVID-19 growth rate since the last few weeks. Marathwada is a drought-prone district, indicating that a growing number of cases may put additional strain on the civic infrastructure in the region. A healthcare official added that there’s an acute shortage of doctors and other healthcare workers in the region which could make things worse.
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Seeing the rising number of cases, administrations of Beed and Parbhani have announced a 10-day lockdown that began on August 12. The growth rate which was at 3.9% in Beed between June 30 to July 7, has now grown to 9.2 per cent.
Dr Ashok Thorat, a civil surgeon at Beed said - “Currently, the majority of cases are limited to the cities in the district, but it is also true that cases are starting to be reported from rural areas in the district.” He added that even though it was initially believed that the virus was brought in by residents of Mumbai, Thane, Pune, and so on, the spread is now occurring within the district, thus justifying the 10-day lockdown.
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Meanwhile, State Surveillance Officer, Dr Pradeep Awate believed that the rise in cases is a consequence of an expanded testing regimen. “From 12,000-13,000 tests a day, we have gone up to 80,000. Samples tested is eight to nine times of what it was in June, so the rise is to a great extent expected,” Awate said. He mentioned that the spread of the virus in regions like Solapur, Jalgaon, and Kolhapur remains a concern for the authorities.
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