Maharashtra's daily Covid-19 caseload dips by 10,000, Mumbai's tally down too

This decrease in daily caseload is due to a dip in the number of samples. On Sunday, 1,96,988 tests were carried out, whereas today, this number dipped to 1,75,682, the health bulletin showed

Maharashtra on Monday recorded 47,288 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday, according to state department's health bulletin, marking a decrease from the 57,074 cases the state had recorded a day earlier. At 9,879 new cases, its capital Mumbai too reported a dip in the number of cases in the 24-hour span. Dharavi, one of the worst-affected areas in Mumbai during last year's peak, reported 47 new cases on Monday. The state-wide total now stands at 30,57,885.

A health worker takes a nasal swab sample of a man to test for COVID-19 in Mumbai, India, Monday, April 5, 2021. India reported its biggest single-day spike in confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began Monday, and officials in the hard-hit state home to Mumbai are returning to the closure of some businesses and places of worship in a bid to slow the spread. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) (AP)

This decrease in daily caseload is due to a dip in the number of samples. On Sunday, 1,96,988 tests were carried out, whereas today, this number dipped to 1,75,682, the health bulletin showed. So far, 2,07,15,793 samples have been tested in Maharashtra.

The state reported 155 deaths on Monday, taking the death toll to 56,044. Mumbai reported 21 deaths in the last 24 hours, and the city's death toll now stands at 11,800. The state currently has 4,51,375 active Covid-19 cases.

26,252 patients were discharged today, bringing the recovery rate in the state to 83.36%, the health bulletin showed. Till date, a total of 25,49,075 people have been discharged, said the bulletin.

Dr Shekhar Mande, director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), told reporters via a video conference on Sunday that a mutant variant of Covid-19 has been a cause of concern in Maharashtra. Mande said the mutant was first observed in the United States and probably reached the state through people who travelled to India from the US. He also urged people to follow Covid-19 preventative behaviour.

“We have asked the state government to monitor L452R mutant, which is causing concern. On this, I am in constant touch with the state government,” Mande told reporters.

Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected state in the country followed by Punjab. The state has added 426,108 Covid-19 cases to the country's coronavirus tally in the last two weeks as of March 31. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray wrote to the Prime Minister on Monday, urging him to reduce the age limit of vaccine eligibility to 25 years, owing to the rise in the number of daily cases. So far, the Centre has only allowed states to vaccinate those above 45 years of age.