Eleven states account for 90 per cent of the cases and deaths in the country.
New Delhi:
India added 89,129 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours amid a worrying surge in Covid cases that has prompted states like Maharashtra to consider lockdown. Today’s surge is the highest since September 20 when 92,605 cases were reported.
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Situation is of “grave concern” in Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Haryana, the Centre said after a review meeting on Friday. These states and union territories account for 90 per cent of the cases and deaths in the country, it said.
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Maharashtra, which has been worst-hit from COVID-19 so far, reported as many as 47,827 new cases yesterday – its highest since the pandemic spread to India in March 2020 – and 202 deaths. State capital Mumbai reported 8,648 cases in a 24-hour period, surpassing any previous high.
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The possibility of a lockdown in Maharashtra can’t be ruled out if the surge in coronavirus cases continues, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Friday. “People have become complacent. We are in a Catch 22 situation – should we look at economy or health?” the Chief Minister said in a televised address.
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Faced with an alarming spike in Covid cases, authorities in Pune have ordered a 12-hour night curfew starting 6 pm today for a period of at least one week. Pune on Friday recorded its highest single-day high of 9,086 cases, taking its tally to 5,51,508.
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Delhi is also witnessing a worrying surge in cases with the city recording 3,594 fresh COVID-19 cases on Friday, the highest daily count this year.
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In Tamil Nadu – which will vote in third phase of state polls on April 6th – 3,290 new cases were reported in a day, taking the caseload to 8,92,780. 12,750 people have died due to virus in the southern state so far. The state saw the cases cross the 2,000-mark on March 27, the 1,000-mark on March 19 and then touched 1,087, according to a health bulletin.
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Situation is grim in neighbouring Karnataka too. The state reported 4,991 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total tally to 10,06,229.
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The country is witnessing a worrying surge in cases amid a vaccination drive through which over seven crore people have been vaccinated so far.
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“88 per cent of Covid-related deaths in our country have been in the age group of 45 years and above. Therefore, prioritizing vaccination for this age group is paramount to prevent COVID-related deaths,” Dr VK Paul, Member (Health) NITI Aayog, said as the country opened expanded the inoculation drive to include the age group.
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With 1.23 crore infections, India has the third highest number of cases in the world after the United States and Brazil.