E-Paper
Covid-19 cases double in Maharashtra in 9 days, tally now above 20,000
The mortality rate has, however, come down in the state. From 7.21 per cent on April 12, the mortality rate has improved to 3.83 per cent now.
The number of Covid-19 positive cases crossed the 20,000-mark in Maharashtra on Sunday, according to Union Health Ministry data. The state reported 1,165 cases on Saturday, taking the total number of cases to 20,228.
It took Maharashtra only nine days to go from 10,000 cases to 20,000 cases, whereas it had taken 53 days to reach 10,000 cases after the first case was reported on March 9.
Maharashtra also recorded 48 deaths on Saturday, the highest the highest in a single day so far. The total number of fatalities linked to the coronavirus disease stands at 779 in Maharashtra.
The mortality rate has, however, come down in the state. From 7.21 per cent on April 12, the mortality rate has improved to 3.83 per cent now, state health authorities said.
While 86.48 per cent or 16,482 of the total Covid-19 cases till Friday are from Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR), 85.77 per cent or 627 of the total 731 deaths are also from these regions. These are the most populated areas in the state, accommodating around 30 per cent (or 35 million) of the state’s total population on over 11,600 square km, which is less than five per cent of the state’s total area.
On Saturday morning, a special flight carrying Indian nationals from London landed at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj airport, with 326 passengers. Another flight with 243 Indians from Singapore is expected to land in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon and another from Manila at 11 pm.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday approved free travel by state transport buses for migrants, workers, locals and tourists to travel within the state, or who are at state borders and want to travel elsewhere in the state.
So far, Maharashtra has conducted 2,27,804 tests for Covid-19, of which of 20,228 have tested positive in the state. Between Friday night and Saturday night, Maharashtra conducted 15,454 tests and 1,165 people tested positive, which is 7.53 per cent of the total people tested. 2,41,290 people are currently under home quarantine, while 13,976 are under institutional quarantine. Three thousand eight hundred patients have fully recovered from various hospitals, after testing positive in the past nine weeks.
Maharashtra Police have registered a total of 1,00,245 cases for lockdown violations, most of these are against people who gathered at one place. A total of 19,297 people were arrested since the state was put under lockdown on March 22.
