Mumbai: Among the new cases reported on Thursday, 27 were identified in Mumbai, 21 in Pune, 12 in Thane, eight within the Kalyan Municipal Corporation area, four in Navi Mumbai, one in the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation, one in the Ahilyanagar Municipal Corporation, and two in Raigad district. On May 29, Maharashtra reported 76 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the state since January 1 to 597, as per the state health department.
According to the department, the total COVID cases in Mumbai since January stand at 379. Additionally, 9,592 COVID tests have been performed in the state since January.
As reported by the state public health department, the increase in COVID-19 cases corresponds with seasonal trends of respiratory diseases, and the majority of infections are either mild or show no symptoms.
Health authorities have stepped up monitoring and testing for COVID-19 due to an increase in influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), particularly in urban areas.
Officials link the mildness of Covid cases to extensive vaccination rates and the presence of natural immunity among the population.
With the increase in respiratory illnesses linked to the monsoon, differentiating between COVID-19 and the flu has become a critical clinical focus. According to report by Hindustan Times, Dr. Dhiraj Bhattad, a consultant in internal medicine at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, stated, “Both flu and Covid-19 can lead to symptoms like fever, sore throat, cough, cold, headache, body pain, and fatigue.” However, the loss of taste and smell is a clear indicator of COVID-19. Notably, flu cases at present appear to exhibit more severe symptoms compared to COVID-19. This could be due to the fact that a majority of individuals have already received the Covid vaccine.
