Covid-19 Spike In Maharashtra, CM Calls For Strict Implementation Of Safety Norms
Maharashtra recorded 25,833 new cases of Covid-19, the highest one-day spike since last March when the coronavirus infection was first detected.
The total caseload in the state has risen to 23,96,340l. With 58 more fatalities, the death toll jumped to 53,138 on Thursday, a health official informed.
Earlier, the record of the biggest single-day spike was seen on September 11 last year when the stare reported 24,886 cases.
The state is witnessing the beginning of a second Covid-19 wave, a report by a team appointed by the centre had said earlier this week.
On Thursday, 12,764 patients were discharged from hospitals, the highest in a single day this year. The total of recoveries now stands at 21,75,565.
There are 1,66,353 active cases in the state.
Nagpur city on the second consecutive day recorded the highest number of new coronavirus cases at 2,926, followed by 2,877 in Mumbai and 2,791 in Pune city.
Pune district in Maharashtra reported as many as 4,965 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, which pushed its cumulative tally to 4,53,532 so far, a health official said.
As the virus claimed the lives of 31 patients during the day, the district’s death toll reached 9,486. With 1,296 new cases in neighbouring industrial township of Pimpri Chinchwad, the caseload there mounted to 1,18,192.
The coronavirus tally in Thane district of Maharashtra rose to 2,82,368 with the addition of 1,636 new cases, an official said on Friday.
These cases were reported on Thursday, he said . As the virus claimed the lives of seven persons, the death toll in the district grew to 6,362.
The virus tally in Nashik reached 1,40,887 on Thursday with a single-day addition of 2,421 cases. This comes as the highest daily rise the district has seen so far since the pandemic began last year, health officials said.
This is the second consecutive day when the number of cases in the district crossed the 2,000-mark. The virus claimed four lives during the day, which pushed the death toll in the district to 2,197, they said.
Mumbai’s Covid-19 tally increased to 3,52,851 and eight deaths took the fatality count to 11,559. The Mumbai division reported 5,190 new cases and 14 deaths.
In view of the rise in coronavirus cases, the administration in Maharashtra’s Nanded district on Thursday announced that all places of worship will remain shut till March 31, a district official said.
Issuing fresh orders to contain the spread of infections, the administration has directed that shops will be allowed to operate from 7 am to 5 pm, except for those engaged in essential services, the official said.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked divisional commissioners to ensure that curbs announced to control the spread of Covid-19 are implemented strictly in view of the sharp spike in the number of infection cases being reported in the state.
In a virtual meeting held on Thursday, Thackeray said even though the state is witnessing a steep spike in the number of daily cases, the vaccination drive has also gained momentum.
“In view of the highest number of cases on Thursday since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, the district administration should speed up contact tracing and implementation of restrictions and safety protocols,” he said.
Thackeray said administering three lakh vaccine doses daily should be the target.
Considering the rising heat, facilities like drinking water and toilets should be provided at the vaccination centres, he said.
The Centre has allowed 134 private hospitals in the state for the vaccination drive, he said.
Health Secretary Pradeep Vyas said that if the rise in daily cases continues, there could be three lakh active cases in the state in the first week of April.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday said the state holds the second position in the Covid-19 vaccination drive, standing next only to Rajasthan.
“The state has ranked second at the national level in Covid-19 vaccination. Rajasthan is ahead of us,” he said in a tweet.
“The state is also low on vaccine going waste. It is six per cent in Maharashtra as against some states in the country where the figure is as high as 20 per cent. We are trying to achieve zero wastage of vaccines and steps are being taken in this direction,” Tope said.
As many as 36,39,989 people have been vaccinated in Maharashtra since the drive commenced on January 16. As per the data compiled on Thursday, over 2.7 lakh people received Covid-19 vaccine shots on Wednesday.
With 1,21,335 tests carried out on Thursday, the state has so far tested 1,79,56,830 samples for coronavirus.
There are 8,13,211 people in home quarantine while 7,079 are in institutional quarantine.
Out of 58 deaths, 38 occurred in the last 48 hours and 15 in the last week. The remaining five deaths are from the period before the last week.
Maharashtra’s Covid-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases: 23,96,340, new cases: 25,833, death toll: 53,138, discharged: 21,75,565, active cases: 1,66,353, people tested so far: 1,79,56,830.
(With inputs from PTI)
