Maharashtra records close to 600k Covid-19 cases in March

Maharashtra recorded 590,448 cases from March 1 to March 29, while it had recorded 593,192 cases in September 2020, data revealed

As the fear of another lockdown looms over Maharashtra, March, 2021, with two days still to go, is on its way to being the state’s worst month in terms of Covid-19 cases. The state has been battling the pandemic for over a year now.

Representational image. (AP)

Maharashtra recorded 590,448 cases from March 1 to March 29, while it had recorded 593,192 cases in September 2020, data revealed.

While Maharashtra recorded a huge drop in cases in the beginning of 2021 compared to the previous three months, the number of new cases recorded this month have surpassed the tally of the past four months. Between November 2020 and February 2021, the state recorded 487,519 infections.

On Monday, the state recorded 31,643 cases and 102 deaths, a day after recording its sharpest single-day spike of 40,414 cases. The state’s tally is now 2,745,518 cases and death toll is 54,283. Since March 17, Maharashtra has been recording more than 20,000 cases every day. The state has also recorded 2,129 deaths this month.

Dr Rahul Pandit, a member of the state-appointed task force, said the numbers will continue to rise in the state. “It will rise further as tests have increased. We will have to keep testing more until the positivity rate goes down,” Dr Pandit said. The state’s positivity rate on Monday was 14.08%, while the recovery rate is 85.71%. The state has been conducting more than 100,000 tests every day for the last few weeks.