Mumbai: Maharashtra’s coronavirus disease (Covid-19) count and related fatalities remain the highest in the country exactly four months after the first viral infection case was detected in the state, according to a report compiled by the state’s medical education department on Wednesday.
The Covid-19 related toll stands at 9,448, including 1,442 deaths over the last eight days alone.
Earlier on March 9, Maharashtra had reported its first of Covid-19 positive case after a couple in Pune, who had returned from Dubai, was found to have contracted SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease. The following day, three more persons, who had come in contact with the infected couple, tested Covid-19 positive.
The report stated Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu are ranked after Maharashtra on the fatality count with 3,165, 1,977, and 1,636 deaths, respectively.
The north-eastern states such as Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim have not reported a single Covid-19 death as yet.
Gujarat tops the case fatality rate (CFR) at 5.26%, followed by Maharashtra at 4.22%.
On Wednesday, state health minister Rajesh Tope said efforts are on to bring down the CFR by increasing the daily test count.
{{/usCountry}}On Wednesday, state health minister Rajesh Tope said efforts are on to bring down the CFR by increasing the daily test count.
{{/usCountry}}“An increase in daily test count will help bring down the CFR and the positive rate can also be reduced to below 10%,” the minister said.
At present, Maharashtra’s positive rate against total tests is at 18.77%, which is a worrying trend.
Maharashtra reported 223,724 Covid-19 positive cases until Wednesday, including 91,065 active ones, according to the report.
On Wednesday, hotels, and lodges that were shut for the past four months were opened as part of the state’s Mission Begin Again campaign to give a fillip to commercial activities and revive the economy.
Mumbai reported 1,347 Covid-19 positive cases on Wednesday after the previous day’s count of 785 had broken a 57-day pattern with the lowest single-day spike.
Health experts maintained a one-day low count is an aberration, as it needs to be sustained for a while to be considered a trend.
“Though a single-day low Covid-19 positive cases in Mumbai are an encouraging sign, nothing can be ascertained from it. A trend can only be determined after analysing the data over a period of time,” Dr. Anant Bhan, researcher, global health, bioethics, and healthcare policy, had told HT in an earlier interaction.