mumbai sources stated that the number of COVID-19 cases in maharashtra crossed the 8,000-mark on sunday after 440 more people were found infected, a health official said. With the new cases, the number of such patients in the state has now reached 8,068. According to sources maharashtra chief minister uddhav thackeray on sunday said “80 per cent patients of coronavirus were asymptomatic" in his state, which at over 7,600 has the highest number of infections in the country.
The high figure increases the possibility of a silent spread of the virus and emphasises on the need for more testing as more and more people become carriers, who can potentially spread the virus further without showing any symptoms. In rajasthan, which has over 2,100 confirmed cases, also about 80 per cent patients have been asymptomation. thackeray said the state has succeeded in slowing down the spread of coronavirus due to the lockdown and he will review the situation before taking any decision on giving relaxations.
A large chunk of the cases in the state are currently restricted to major cities like mumbai and pune, according to official data, and a lockdown extension could be restricted to such urban centres, and it is not like the coronavirus is suddenly going away. There is no proof of herd immunity. We have to keep the high risk group safe. State officials have said that if the state does relax its current stringent lockdown measures, it would be in rural areas and least affected areas of the state. “However, we are looking at the scenario as rural and urban areas are connected".
