Maharashtra records over 60,000 fresh Covid-19 cases, 349 deaths in 24 hours

While both the number — Maharashtra and Mumbai — are not their highest rises, the curve is still going up, the Covid-19 bulletin published on Thursday confirmed.

Maharashtra on Thursday recorded 61,695 new Covid-19 infections and 349 deaths as the state has been put under a strict curfew till May 1. Mumbai in the last 24 hours reported 8,209 new infections and 50 deaths.

A deserted view of Marine Drive road after the Maharashtra government imposed restrictions to curb the COVID-19 cases, in Mumbai on Thursday. (ANI Photo)

While both the 24-hour rise — Maharashtra' and Mumbai — are not their highest rises, the curve is still going up, the Covid-19 bulletin published on Thursday confirmed. On April 11, Maharashtra recorded the highest single-day spike of over 63,000 cases, making Thursday's spike the second-highest since the beginning of the pandemic.

In the last 24 hours, the state conducted 2,34,452 tests and the positivity rate jumped to 26.3 per cent. With 53,335 recoveries reported in the last 24 hours, the gap between daily infections and daily recoveries narrowed, taking the state's active Covid-19 caseload to 6,20,060.

However, the number of active cases are projected to be double in the state, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The state’s active caseload will reach 11.9 lakh by April 30, it has been projected.

As far as the divisions are concerned, the 24-hour rise in the number of fresh infections has been in four digits. The Nashik division reported 9,582 cases, including 3,235 in Nashik city. The Pune division saw 12,169 fresh infections, including 5,469 in Pune city. The Kolhapur division added 2,019 new cases; the Aurangabad division 3,334; the Latur division 4,561 and the Akola division 2,093. The Nagpur division registered 11,031 cases, including 4,282 in Nagpur city