State logs 529 cases, BMC begins vaccination at 8 tourist spots in Mumbai | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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State logs 529 cases, BMC begins vaccination at 8 tourist spots in Mumbai

May 28, 2022 10:49 PM IST

Mumbai: On a day when the state reported seven cases of B

Mumbai: On a day when the state reported seven cases of B.A. 4 and B.A. 5 variants of Covid-19, Maharashtra logged 529 new cases and zero deaths in the 24-hour period.

A health worker inoculates a beneficiary in the 12-18 years age group against Covid-19 at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo, Byculla, as BMC initiates new vaccination drive centres at various tourist places, in Mumbai on Saturday (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)
A health worker inoculates a beneficiary in the 12-18 years age group against Covid-19 at Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo, Byculla, as BMC initiates new vaccination drive centres at various tourist places, in Mumbai on Saturday (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

A total of seven patients from Pune were found to be infected with the B.A. 4 and B.A. 5 variants, which are sub-lineages of the Omicron strain. As per experts, these lineages are said to have a higher rate of transmission according.

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Of the total cases, Mumbai accounted for the highest caseload at 330, followed by Thane city (38), Pune city (32), Navi Mumbai (31) and Pune district (22). Maharashtra has 2,772 active cases at present, of which 1,929 are in Mumbai. So far, 1,47,858, people have lost their lives in the pandemic.

The number of cases reported on Saturday was marginally lower than the 536 positive patients found on Friday as the testing on Saturday was lower at 22,618 on Saturday compared to 29,457 on the previous day.

The state government has done away with all Covid-19 related restrictions since 2 April, including the mask mandate in public places.

Health minister Rajesh Tope called on people to stay alert and use masks in public places but added that the rise in infections was not a cause for concern so far.

“The number of active cases is rising and it is a cause of concern in some areas. The numbers are increasing in Mumbai, Thane, Pune and Palghar. Testing must be ramped up on a massive scale,” he said, adding that otherwise, people could slip out of the testing net at a time when cases were rising.

Public health department officials have been instructed to increase testing in areas where clusters of infection have been found. “Even if (masks) are not compulsory, the people must use them in areas where cases are rising,” warned Tope.

The increase in Covid-19 caseload was discussed in the meeting of the state cabinet on Thursday and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray urged people to wear masks and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour.

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had earlier warned that if the number of cases continues to rise, the state government may, on the advice of the task force, be compelled to reimpose some restrictions, including the mask mandate.

Meanwhile, Mumbai on Saturday reported 330 Covid-19 cases and zero deaths due to the infection, taking the tally to 10,63,681, while the toll remains at 19,566. The overall case fatality rate in the city is 1.8%.

In the 24 hours till Saturday, 8,582 samples were tested in the city and the test positivity rate has now jumped to 3.8% on Saturday. So far, 1,71,15,857 tests have been conducted in Mumbai, and the overall positivity rate is 6.22%.

Meanwhile, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday started a special vaccination drive at eight tourist places in Mumbai to speed up vaccination and promote the booster dose for eligible citizens.

Vaccination is being done at Gateway of India in Colaba, Jehangir Art Gallery in Kalaghoda, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum near Kalaghoda, Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Gardens and Zoo in Byculla, Mahakali Caves in Andheri, Chhota Kashmir Boating Club in Aarey Colony and Kidzania RCity Mall.

Both Covaxin and Covishield will be available at all these locations, for the first and second dose and the booster dose for all eligible citizens. Also, the first dose / second dose of the Corbevax vaccine will be given to eligible children between the ages of 12 to 15 years.

All vaccines will be provided through on-spot registration at these eight locations.

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