Mumbai: The COVID-19 spread is showing a concentrated spurt in Vidarbha region and the infection is slowly transmitted to other places like Pune and Mumbai.

If the infection is not controlled, it can spread to other states in the country, Dr Subhash Salunke, Technical Adviser to the Maharashtra government on COVID-19 outbreak, told mediapersons on Wednesday night.

"It is very difficult to say whether this is a second wave, but the virus is showing a concentrated spurt in some areas like Vidarbha, starting from Nagpur, Amravati till Aurangabad (located in Marathwada region)," the official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Now, the virus is slowly getting transmitted to other districts like Pune and Mumbai. If we do not control it, it will spread to other states in the country. Whether it will spread 100 per cent, nobody is sure, but yes, it has the potential," he added.

Dr Salunke further said that as indicated by the director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the mutation in Amravati and Yavatmal districts is not responsible for the present surge in Maharashtra.

When asked about the lockdown, he said, “Lockdown is the last resort. Setting up of micro- containment zones, restrictions on movement in containment areas, increased surveillance, contact-tracing and increase in testing and isolation of active cases are some of the key steps which can check spread of the virus.”

Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Wednesday reported a significant rise in COVID, with more than 8,000 new cases witnessed in a single day after a gap of over three months. The state has so far reported a total of 21,21,119 COVID-19 cases.