Pune: The doubling of COVID-19 cases in the city has touched 22.1 days with an average 3 per cent daily growth rate of cases in the last one week. Pune Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao claimed that the exponentially rising curve of COVID-19 cases in the city would flatten only after three to four weeks. Rao also confirmed that the serological survey report of Pune city would be submitted by August 12. Then the pattern behind the spread of coronavirus in slums and societies will be known to us.
Rao said that Pune is behind Mumbai by four to five weeks. “Mumbai city has witnessed over 1 per cent daily growth of COVID-19 cases in the last year after it peaked earlier. Pune city is still at 3 per cent daily growth and will take another four weeks to come below 1 per cent daily growth rate, and after that, we will flatten the curve of Covid-19 cases,” Rao stated.
Rao said, “Although the containment strategies deployed by local administration varies as per location, if we compare Mumbai and Pune cities, the situation that was in Mumbai on June 14 is what we witnessed on July 26 in Pune city. We are behind Mumbai by five weeks as far as the peaking of the COVID-19 cases count is concerned. We have to face the challenge for at least three weeks more. The coronavirus can change its behaviour during this period, and we have to be vigilant and continue with the aggressive testing strategy.”
Rao asserted that the daily testing count of Pune district is the highest in the state.
“The daily tests per million population are just 391 for our state, 612 for Mumbai city and 919 for Pune city. That is Pune is testing 1.5 times higher patients than Mumbai and 2.5 times higher than the state count. The cumulative positivity rate for Pune is 21 per cent which is less than Mumbai (22 per cent) and Thane (32 per cent),” he added.
