Maharashtra coronavirus tally at 5.6k, death count 269

The state reported 431 new cases on Wednesday on a day a central government team visited Mumbai and Pune and projected that the number of cases in Maharashtra would increase to as high as 42,000 by the end of April-- a claim rebutted by the state government.

Maharashtra’s Covid-19 tally reached 5,649 on Wednesday and 18 more people succumbed to the pandemic, taking the number of fatalities in the state worst hit by the virus to 269, but the state took heart from a reduction in the number of coronavirus hot spots and a declining mortality rate to claim an improvement.

Maharashtra’s Covid-19 tally reached 5,649 on Wednesday (Yogendra Kumar/HT PHOTO)

The state reported 431 new cases on Wednesday on a day a central government team visited Mumbai and Pune and projected that the number of cases in Maharashtra would increase to as high as 42,000 by the end of April-- a claim rebutted by the state government.

State health minister Rajesh Tope said the projection was based on an outdated rate of doubling of cases that had improved in the past week.

Tope said that there was no need to panic, and added that the number of hot spots in the state had reduced to five from 14, and the rate of doubling of cases had improved to 7.01 days from 3.1 days earlier this month.

“It is a mathematical model {on which the projection is based}. Surely there is a science behind it, but certain things have been assumed in this such as the doubling rate is considered at 3.5 {days} and it is kept static We have taken a lot of preventive measures. We are carrying out surveillance, tests,” he said.

In the last four days, 2,001 Covid-19 cases have been added in the state, while 58 people have died. Of Maharashtra’s Covid-19 death toll of 269. Mumbai accounts for 161; India’s financial capital has reported 3,683 Cofvid-19 cases. Of the 431 new cases and 18 deaths on Wednesday, 232 cases and 10 deaths were reported by Mumbai.

Tope said the remaining coronavirus hotspots in Maharashtra were Mumbai, Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune, Nagpur and Nashik.

The minister said the Indian Council of Medical Research had allowed Maharashtra to start plasma therapy to Covid-19 patients in Mumbai.

“The plasma (a component of blood) of those who have recovered from Covid-19 has some antibodies. If such plasma is used with utmost precaution, it has proven to be useful,” he said