Maharashtra sees 3,451 Covid-19 cases, tally now 2,052,253

After a gap of 21 days, the state recorded more than 3,000 new Covid-19 cases in a day. While there has been improvement in terms of recorded number of cases, officials expressed concern that the daily average has plateaued instead of falling.

After a gap of 21 days, the state recorded more than 3,000 new Covid-19 cases in a day. On Wednesday, 3,451 cases were reported, pushing Maharashtra’s tally to 2,052,253. While there has been improvement in terms of recorded number of cases, officials expressed concern that the daily average has plateaued instead of falling.

A healthcare worker collects a swab sample of a woman to test for Covid-19 infection, in Bhiwandi. (HT FILE)

Earlier on January 20, the state had recorded 3,015 cases.

New cases of Covid-19 have plateaued in the last three months, but Maharashtra still has 34,640 active cases, which is the second highest in the country. The state also has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in India. In Mumbai, 558 new cases were reported, raising the total number of cases to 313,213. At present, the city has 5,372 active cases and four deaths reported on Wednesday. Mumbai’s Covid-19 death toll is at 11,402.

In the last 10 days, there have been 25,854 cases of Covid-19 in Maharashtra and the daily average is around 2,585, according to the state health department. In the corresponding period in January, 34,892 cases were reported and the daily average was 3,489, which indicates a slight slowing down in the infection’s growth rate. However, a senior official requesting anonymity said, “We are expecting a gradual fall in daily cases, which is not happening. The daily cases have hit a plateau and are not going down as expected. In between, we are also experiencing a rise in daily cases like today’s.”

At the state Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, health secretary Pradeep Vyas made a presentation on the spread of Covid-19 in Maharashtra and ministers expressed concern over rise in the number of daily cases in certain districts. Four districts — Parbhani, Jalna, Beed and Latur in Central Maharashtra and Amravati division (comprising Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Yavatmal and Washim) — have reported rising incidence of cases daily. “Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray directed the state administration to strictly implement tracking, tracing and testing formula to contain the spread,” said a senior minister, on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, close to 573,666 beneficiaries have been vaccinated in Maharashtra since the nationwide vaccination drive began on January 16. Of them, 503,002 are healthcare workers (HCWs) and 70,664 are frontline workers (FLWs). On Wednesday, 37,223 people were inoculated, of which 20,004 were HCWs and 17,219 were FLWs.

Maharashtra has around 800,000 HCWs and 580,000 FLWs registered on CoWIN, the centralised app that is managing vaccinations.

In Mumbai, 4,431 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 23 centres. Across the island city and Mumbai suburban, 90,533 beneficiaries have been inoculated till date. Of the total vaccinated beneficiaries in the state, 5,149 received Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech, across six centres in the state, said the health department. Both Covaxin and Covishield require each beneficiary to receive two shots of the vaccine at a gap of 28 days.