By Monday, May 17, Amravati saw an unprecedented 10,205 active cases and 1,208 deaths as the Maharashtrian district is combating the ghastly second wave of the coronavirus. The district, which touched a mere 500 active cases in January, saw cases mount to 3,090 in February and 6,600 fresh infections by the month end.
When the state government announced a lockdown, Amravati took a breath of relief as cases climbed down to 2,935 in March. However, this descent was short-lived as cases once again rose to 4,636 on April 15 and, by the end of the month, spiked to 7,134.
The bizarre ‘M’ shaped spike in cases led some to believe that the district had begun to experience a third wave of the coronavirus. However, medical epidemiologist and expert Dr Chandrakant Lahariya told the Times of India that a surge in cases during an ongoing wave meant that measures on the ground were ‘not working.’
On the other hand, some members within the state COVID task force like Dr Shashank Joshi are of the opinion that mutations could be the culprit behind the district’s rise in transmissions. B1.617, which has now been classified as a variant of the virus, could be detected in samples of patients as early as February, with sub-lineages of the variant showing up in examinations of the Amravati samples, Dr Joshi told Times of India.
Now, as other districts of Maharashtra are beginning to see a promising dip, cases in Amravati continue to rise. Commercial towns like Morshi, Warud and Achalpur, which see a dense mix of populations that travel back and forth within the district, could be part of the reason why the virus is getting out of hand, according to state experts.
Commercial towns are notorious for receiving a regular influx of travelers from Madhya Pradesh, therefore contributing further to the growing tensions in Maharashtra.
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