Fresh COVID-19 cases continued to pile up across Pune district on Sunday, with 205 new cases taking the case tally to 7,670.
The total death toll has climbed to 332 with three new fatalities recorded during the day, according to figures released by the district administration.
Of the total cases, only 2,988 are active, with 4,350 people discharged thus far. As many as 152 people were discharged on Sunday. Among the active cases, 207 are in a critical condition.
“As many as 205 new cases were reported till Sunday evening, of which more than 190 are from Pune city. The city has also recorded 301 of the 332 deaths,” District Health Officer Dr. Bhagwan Pawar said.
The slum clusters of Wadarwadi and Janwadi in Shivajinagar have emerged as the new hotspots in the city, with two deaths being reported from these parts.
“While Wadarwadi did not have a single case until a week ago, it has witnessed a daily increase of 15-20 cases in the past few days. At present, there are 55 active cases here,” Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Shivajinagar legislator Siddharth Shirole told The Hindu .
Mr. Shirole said the authorities have intensified screening and come up with a plan for early detection of co-morbidities among residents. While significant parts in the cluster have already been sealed off, all of Wadarwadi , with an estimated population of 35,000. will be sealed off by Tuesday morning. Groceries are being distributed while a method of door-to-door delivery is being worked out, he said.
“Easing of the lockdown rules, which led to increased intra-city movement, has resulted in the infection making its way into Wadarwadi. The infection has spread to Ramoshiwadi and Gokhalenagar as well,” he said.
In some good news, Mr. Shirole said, the Patil Estate slum cluster in Shivajinagar has reported no new cases for the past fortnight, and number of active cases has remained constant at 173.
The death toll in Pune division, which includes Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur districts along with Pune, has reached 446. After Pune, Solapur has the highest death rate. It reported five more fatalities on Sunday to take its toll to 84. Satara reported three deaths to take its toll to 21.
Divisional Commissioner Dr. Deepak Mhaisekar said the division’s case tally has reached 9,749 with 4,220 active cases, while 5,063 people (more than 50%) have been discharged till date.
“Solapur reported a spike of 52 cases since Saturday evening to take its total tally to 891, of whom 427 are active while 390 have been discharged. Satara reported 34 cases to take its tally to 516 of whom 337 are active and 158 have been discharged, while Sangli district reported nine cases to take its total to 110, of whom 49 are active while 57 have been discharged,” Dr. Mhaisekar said.
Kolhapur district, which has seen fluctuating numbers, witnessed a sharp spike of 58 cases in the last 24 hours as its tally rose to 562, with as many as 439 active cases. The district has reported five deaths thus far.
Till now, the samples of 87,693 people have been tested in Pune district, of which 53,890 have returned negative. A total of 4,081 people are currently in quarantine facilities in the district.
