Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Monday, January 10, said that the third wave may peak by January-end or the first week of February before beginning to taper.
After a two-hour virtual meeting with Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, while addressing the media, Tope said: “The third wave is here, however, the spike will not be permanent. Perhaps, this rise will persist till January-end or the first week of February, and then begin to taper. This is based on what experts have been saying based on the experience globally… the curbs can be done away with when the cases start declining.
He added that of the people testing positive for the virus, only a minuscule needed oxygen support or intensive care. Around 85 per cent of the patients were asymptomatic.
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He also mentioned that the home quarantine period had been halved to seven days from 14 days.
Moreover, Tope raised concerns over many political leaders not adhering to the pandemic protocols despite the rise in cases in Maharashtra and appealed them not to organise meetings and programmes.
Quoting an Urdu proverb, 'Jaan hai to Jahaan hai', Tope said that everyone needed to be safe and follow the norms. ''Due to the spike in cases, the closure of schools is necessary to protect children from coronavirus. People should support the restrictions announced by the government,'' he further stated.
Besides, in this meeting, utilisation of funds under the ECRP 2 (Emergency COVID Response Plans) for preparedness and prevention of the pandemic was discussed.
Referring to the state’s decision to close down educational institutions till February 15, Tope said he had discussed this with Balram Bhargava, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Bhargava had advocated more curbs if the positivity rate crossed 10 per cent, while this was at a higher 15.5 per cent in Maharashtra.
He also remarked that only four per cent of the total 17,000 oxygenated beds in Maharashtra remain occupied as of now.
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Explaining further, Tope shared, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra was 1.73 lakh. However, of these, just 1,711 (one per cent) were in the ICU, and 5,400 (two per cent) were on oxygen support.
The rest of them, or 13 per cent, are patients with mild and moderate symptoms. There are no deaths on a large scale or demand for ICU beds or oxygen. Only 38,850 ICU and 1.34 lakh oxygen beds were occupied. Maharashtra had 16,000 ventilator beds, and just 700 of them were occupied, indicating a minimal load on the infrastructure.
Therefore, there is no huge stress on infrastructure, Tope expressed.
While the state has announced that a lockdown will be imposed in auto mode when the demand for medical oxygen touches 700 metric tons (MT) a day and when 40 per cent of beds are occupied.
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