Maharashtra records over 15K cases for second straight day, toll now 52,811

Maharashtra recorded more than 15,000 cases for the second consecutive day, with 15,602 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, taking the total to 22,97,793

Maharashtra recorded more than 15,000 cases for the second consecutive day, with 15,602 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, taking the total to 22,97,793. Eighty-eight fatalities were reported on Saturday, which took the Covid death toll to 52,811. Mumbai, which has seen record highs in daily tallies since mid-February, had 1,709 new cases and five deaths on Saturday. The total number of cases in Mumbai now stands at 3,41,999 and there have been 11,528 deaths from Covid-19 till date.

A BMC healthcare workers collects swab samples of residents at Topiwala Hospital, Goregaon. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

On Saturday, the state recorded 7,467 recoveries, taking its total to 21,25,211. The state’s recovery rate is 92.49%. The number of active cases in Maharashtra rose to 1,18,525 on Saturday, which is 5% of the total number of cases in the state. Pune has the highest number of active cases in the state (24,025), followed by Nagpur (16,014), Mumbai (11,747) and Thane (11,592). Nashik and Aurangabad also have more than 5,000 active cases.

Since March 8, Maharashtra has reported 78,066 new cases of Covid-19. The rise started from February 10, forcing the state to impose complete lockdown or partial curbs in several districts and cities. More restrictions may be announced next week to curb the spread. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has repeatedly urged citizens to adhere to precautions like observing social distancing, avoiding large gatherings and wearing masks. “Unless people follow protocol, the cases will increase. In such a situation, the state is left with no choice but impose restrictions,” said Dr Subhash Salunkhe, advisor to the state on Covid control.

On Friday, 2,54,956 citizens were vaccinated in Maharashtra, of which 8,002 were given Covaxin, according to a statement released by the public health department on Saturday. So far, 26,89,992 citizens, including health and frontline workers, have been inoculated since the drive started on January 16. On Friday, 15,59,95 senior citizens got vaccinated and 31,043 citizens above the age of 45 with comorbidities were vaccinated across the state.