<span style="color: #222222;">Amidst rising Covid 19 cases in Maharashtra, the state is conducting vaccination drive in full swing. More than 2 lakh 36 thousand were vaccinated in the state yesterday, which included frontline and health care workers and people above 45 years of age.<br />'' <br />'' Mumbai witnessed the highest numbers of 42,849 doses administered followed by Pune with 33,681 doses. Thane stands third in the tally with 25,169 doses administered. The cumulative figure of vaccination in the state till today stands at 1 crore 21 lakh 39 thousand 771.<br />'' <br />'' Meanwhile, Maharashtra State Surveillance Officer, Dr Pradip Awate has said that there will be a gradual decline in the cases of Covid-19 from the first week of May. He said the health experts at the national level have made these predictions. Since past few days Maharashtra has been registering more than 60 thousand cases leading to a worrisome situation among the masses.<br />'' <br />'' AIR correspondent reports,Dr. Awate recalled that when the first wave hit Maharashtra cases of Covid 19 peaked in September 2020. He said after a specific timeframe the cases touch peak and thereafter they start declining. He said the experts from the field are of the opinion that there will be a gradual decline of second wave from the first week of May.<br />'' <br />'' The senior health official said that world over it has been witnessed that after the first wave it took nearly 75-90 days for the resurgence of second wave. He said the immunity in the people infected in the first wave have declined during this period and they are again contracting the infection.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> <br />'' Moreover, he said, that after registering 60-70 thousand cases every day there are less possibilities that they will increase further and gradually the decline would start.  He asked people to follow the Covid appropriate behaviour to prevent the spread of the new variant which is mainly responsible for high infection rate. </span><br />''  <br />