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Record 7,862 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours take Maharashtra near 2.4 lakh mark
Maharashtra government is also battling with the shortage of antiviral drugs in the state for Covid-19 related treatment
Maharashtra on Friday reported its highest single-day spike of 7,862 new cases taking the overall tally of Covid-19 patients in the state to 2,38,461, according to data released by the health department. The state also recorded 226 cases of deaths due to the deadly infection, taking the death toll in the state to 9,893, a touch shy of the 10,000 mark.
5,366 patients were declared to have been recovered in the last 24 hours taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 1,32,625, leaving 95,943 active cases in the state at present.
Mumbai recorded 1,337 new coronavirus cases taking the total past the 90,000 mark in the maximum city. At 90,461 cases, Mumbai has contributed the most number of infections to the state tally. India’s financial capital also recorded 73 new casualties in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of deaths attributed to the disease to 5,205.
The sharpest rise seen so far in daily cases recorded in Maharashtra came on a day the state government took some tough decisions including announcing a 10-day long lockdown in areas of Pune district beginning July 13 to stem the rise of infections.
Pune lockdown in two phases, here are the five important things to know
In a similar precautionary measure, the lockdown was extended in Thane district till July 19 from July 12, when the 10-day lockdown clamped on July 2 was supposed to end.
The government also announced the decision to buy antiviral drugs Remdesivir and Tocilizumab in bulk to meet the shortfall.
Minister Anil Deshmukh said the government will take strict action against black marketeers of the drugs used in treating coronavirus patients.
Maharashtra’s prisons witness surge in Covid-19 cases
In another significant decision, the administration decided to impose curfew in Nanded district from next week to check the rise of infections. 34 persons tested positive for the virus on Friday morning in the district, taking the total number of cases in the jurisdiction to 558.
The curfew will start on the midnight of July 12 and continue till the midnight of July 20, said an official release. Medical facilities and government offices will continue to operate normally during the curfew while essential services such as ration shops, vegetable vendors, milk shops and cooking gas vendors will be allowed to operate during prescribed hours, the official statement quoted by PTI said.
