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MUMBAI: In a sign that the spread of Covid-19 infections is slowing, daily positivity rate in Maharashtra has dropped to single digits. Of 2.6 lakh tests done in the last 24 hours, 21,273 came positive, a rate of 8.1%, which indicates a significant decline over a month – the rate was 23.6% on April 27.
In a presentation by the health department to the state cabinet, it was revealed that the daily positivity has been in single digits since May 22 (9.3%) and continues to gradually drop further. Test positivity in Mumbai has been below 5% for seven of the last eight days.
As daily test positivity rates could change due to fluctuations in the number of tests done, public health specialists calculate the positivity rate over a week. If it rate stays below 5% for two weeks, the World Health Organisation recommends that it is safe to tweak lockdown rules.
Covid-19s second wave in Maharashtra appears to be more brutal to the young, affecting more people below 30 years of age than the first wave did in 2020.