‘97% asymptomatic or have mild symptoms’
MUMBAI: Maharashtra recorded 150,658 active Covid-19 cases till Sunday afternoon, of which 97% are either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. Only 2% are critical and 1% are on oxygen support, shows data from the state health department.
For the past 10 days, the state has reported 7,000 new Covid-19 cases on average, daily. This has pushed the cumulative number of infections to close to 450,000 cases – the highest in the country. But doctors are relieved as, at present, only 3,111 patients are critical and undergoing treatment in ICUS.
Experts claim this is a good sign because chances of the spread of infection from asymptomatic patients are less. “In asymptomatic patients, the chances of transmitting the virus are less as these individuals don’t sneeze or cough. So, having more asymptomatic patients helps to break the chain of infection,” said Dr Pradeep Awate, state surveillance officer.
Most patients are identified through contact tracing. Dr AR Gita, district health officer (DHO) of Aurangabad, which recorded 4,943 active Covid-19 cases till Saturday, said, “We have appointed teachers and local volunteers to trace close contacts of those infected. The teachers call them regularly to check on their health. If anyone complains of symptoms, we immediately test and isolate them. If we fail to track them, local medical volunteers visit them at home. This has helped in early diagnosis and isolations.”
Till Saturday, 2,011 patients with oxygen saturation level below 95% were kept on oxygen support in hospitals. “We have seen that people between the age group of 31 and 40 are prone to Covid-19. As this is a younger group with higher immunity, they often don’t develop symptoms, and gradually recover,” said Dr Awate.
A similar trend has been noticed with the rapid antigen testing in Mumbai.