Is Panvel struggling to handle COVID crisis?

The Panvel Municipal Corporation where the COVID19 count remained steady in August has seen a sudden rise in cases over the past 10 days While the civic officials say the jump in cases this month is because of increased testing social activists and doctors blame it on the civic bodys mismanagement and festivitiesThe corporation reported 2289 cases between September 1 and 10 633 more than the figure recorded from August 211 The total count of COVID19 infections in Panvel has reached 14111 including 328 deathsDuring the festive seasons testing was low and for the past fourfive days there were no antigen kits said Rohit Dudhwadkar MNS leader in Kamothe Doortodoor testing is not happening and there is total ignorance in containment zones which is leading to a surge in casesPublic violated rulesDuring Ganeshotsav which ended on September 1 several people from the city visited their home towns That could be one of the reasons for increasing numbers said a Panvel civic official Moreover small gatherings were seen at many gaothans in Panvel during the Ganesh festival and several residents visited each other This has caused the emergence of clusters in many housing societies and other areas the official addedA student being screened for COVID19 symptoms File picAyurveda practitioner Dr Amol Kamble said I believe there is a community transmission in the Panvel corporation area During the festive season people get a bit laid back and this is also the season for viral infections Many citizens also take the COVID19 symptoms common for common flu or cold resulting in aggravation of the disease he addedRecovery downMoreover the number of recovered patients also declined this month In August there was a steady rise in recovery with 1705 patients having recovered between August 2231 which came down to 1644 in the first 10 days of September Also the recovery rate dropped from 8608 per cent on September 1 to 8381 per cent on September 10The number of active cases in the corporation also rose by 573 to 1956 September 10 from 1383 on September 1So far 11827 patients have recovered in Panvel and the recovery rate stands at 8381 per cent as of Thursday7001000 tests dailyAccording to the civic bodys daily report the corporation does 700 to 1000 tests daily Even if we take an average of tests done in the past three days it comes to 875 and of them 230 came back positive That means the positivity rate is 25 per cent mdash the highest in Maharashtra said a social activist The corporation doesnt have its own lab or hospital I dont know what will happen in the futurePanvel civic Commissioner Sudhakar Deshmukh said The regular life of citizens is back on track and people are travelling across the MMR so its impacting the numbers But instead of worrying about daily rise we are focusing on clinical management of patients and mortality rate We are in a controlled but crucial stage right now Citizens must take utmost care of themselves and their familyKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news