Pune has a population less than Mumbai and Delhi, along with less economic activity, however we still sustain the highest number of cases per day and in total.
The question to be asked is ‘why?’ Why have cases gone from 100 per day to 4000 per day? Why is the infection count of Pune 2.03 lakh and Mumbai 1.93 lakh?
There are a few reasons causing this spike of cases, the first one being more tests being held. Testing has increased by substantially in the past couple of months and Pune tests around 14,000 people per day, this results in more cases being detected per day compared to any other city.
This brings us to the next reason: large areas that are infected are not being detected. The Indian Express states that a serological survey taken in Pune concludes that more than half of the population in Pune who have COVID have not been tested or detected, therefore there is a rapid spread of this contagious virus.
The third and last cause is inefficient and impotent restriction measures and safety facilities. Firstly there is not enough social distancing, people are walking the streets shoulder to shoulder and not wearing masks. There are also ample gatherings of generally ten people without masks or any other safety measures. This paves the way for more undetected cases.
Another factor is that the 14 day lockdown was not strict enough and authorities became lenient with the restrictions. This led to fast spreading of cases as well as increased number of deaths. Likewise, self isolation was also less effective in Pune than places like Mumbai, which also received a large number of immigrants.
Pune also doesn't have advanced amenities like oxygenated beds and ventilators, instead we have a shortage of beds at covid centers.
To conclude, Pune numbers have been shooting for a while,and at this rate,everyone is bound to get Covid.However Scientists like L S Shashidhara, a professor at IISER Pune and Ashoka University in Haryana, said the situation in Pune is likely to start improving, and that the cases are going down slowly.
All we can do right now is stay safe and respect lockdown measures.