Mumbai sees 46% surge in COVID cases; 3,671 new infections

COVID cases in Mumbai rose to 3,671 in the past 24 hours, which is a 46 per cent surge than the 2,510 daily infections reported on Thursday.

The Maharashtra capital has witnessed a five-fold rise in cases since December 24 when it reported 683 daily infections. The last big jump before it was 283 cases on December 20. 6

At 66,65, 386, Maharashtra has the highest number of infections in the country.

Also read: COVID third wave started in Mumbai, Delhi: Task Force member

The rise in cases are concerning amid a speedy spread of the highly-contagious Omicron variant across the country.

Taking stock of the situation, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday held discussions with the state’s COVID task force. Reports said the discussion majorly dwelt on the role of Omicron in raising the cases.

Meanwhile, officials have said that the administration in Mumbai is aggressively testing and tracing patients and treating infected individuals.

Earlier in the day, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar appealed to the people to follow the norms, while warning that the new wave could be more “terrible” than its predecessors.

“Earlier variants of the coronavirus infected mostly adults, but the latest variant is also infecting children. Hence it is necessary to be careful,” she added.

Also read: Cambridge University predicts ‘short’ COVID surge in India starting this week

Appealing people to follow COVID-19-appropriate behaviour, Pednekar said she herself would be avoiding weddings and other gatherings till the Omicron crisis recedes.

The civic body has ordered the closing of an illumination show on Bandra Reclamation as it was attracting crowds, she said.