Maharashtra reports 76 new Covid-19 cases, Mumbai accounts for 27

Maharashtra recorded 76 fresh Covid-19 cases on Thursday, taking the state’s total to 597 since January 1, according to the public health department. Of these, Mumbai reported 27 new infections, followed by Pune (21), Thane (12) and Kalyan (8). Navi Mumbai, Kolhapur, Ahilyanagar and Raigad reported fewer cases.

According to PTI, the state currently has 425 active cases, with 165 recoveries and seven deaths since January, six of whom had pre-existing health conditions. Health officials noted that while cases are rising, most remain mild or asymptomatic, attributing this to widespread vaccination and natural immunity.

The uptick aligns with seasonal respiratory illness trends, prompting heightened surveillance for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), particularly in urban areas. With monsoon exacerbating such conditions, distinguishing Covid-19 from flu has become crucial, HT reported.

“Both flu and Covid-19 can cause fever, sore throat, cough, cold, headache, body ache and fatigue. But loss of taste and smell is a distinct sign of Covid. Interestingly, flu cases currently seem to have more intense symptoms than Covid. This may be because most people are already vaccinated against Covid,” Dr Dhiraj Bhattad, internal medicine consultant at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, was quoted by HT as saying.