Every third minute, 1 person dies of Covid-19 in Maharashtra

As Maharashtra remains the worst-hit state in the second wave of the pandemic, it is functioning under strict Covid-19 induced restrictions including weekend lockdown and Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Maharashtra, the worst-hit state in the country battling the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, adds more than 2,000 infections to its tally every hour, according to data analysis. The analysis shows 2,859 people are contracting the coronavirus disease every hour and one person succumbs to Covid-19 every third minute on average. Maharashtra continued to record a spurt in daily cases of the coronavirus disease as the state added 68,631 new patients on Sunday, according to the daily health bulletin by the state health department.

A person walk past a mural, at Parel Village, in Mumbai. (HT photo)

It was the first time that the state recorded such a huge spike in a single day, which has pushed its tally to 38,39,338. The state also reported 503 fatalities, pushing the death toll to breach the 60,000-mark to 60,473. Out of the latest additions, 8468 new cases were reported from Mumbai city alone and 53 died due to Covid-19 in the span of 24 hours. The death toll in Mumbai has now reached 12,354.

As Maharashtra remains the worst-hit state in the second wave of the pandemic, it is functioning under strict Covid-19 induced restrictions including weekend lockdown and Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The state's upward trajectory in Covid cases has pushed the health infrastructure to stretch beyond limits.

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope claimed on Sunday that no Covid-19 patient has died due to the shortage of medical oxygen in the state. He also said that the fatalities occurred due to the delay at patients' end in seeking medical assistance on time.