Mumbai:
Maharashtra on Friday reported 58,993 coronavirus cases and 301 deaths in 24 hours amid a second wave of infections. Pune, with 10,084 Covid cases, was the worst-affected district today, followed by Mumbai with 9,200 single-day infections.
After the new additions, the total of active cases has reached 5,34,603. The recovery rate in Maharashtra is 81.96 percent. The fatality rate is 1.74%.
45,391 patients were discharged today, taking the total of recoveries to 26,95,148.
Currently, 26,95,065 people are in home quarantine and 24,157 people are in institutional quarantine, the state government said in a statement.
The state had reported 56,286 cases and 376 deaths yesterday.
Meanwhile, Mumbai’s coronavirus tally crossed the five lakh-mark on Friday. The death count reached 11,909 as 35 people died in the last 24 hours.
The city has added nearly one lakh new cases in the last 12 days only. The number of active COVID-19 cases in Mumbai increased to 90,333.
The Maharashtra government has imposed a night curfew and weekend lockdowns to control the surge.
The state’s hospitals are flooded with coronavirus patients.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope today said that the state was heading towards a lockdown.
“We are heading towards a lockdown but I hope that we don’t have to go for one. Before that if we contain the virus, we will be happy, satisfied and content. We are hoping for the best,” Mr Tope told NDTV in an interview.
He said at present he was not in favour of a lockdown. “But when hospitals are overwhelmed, we have a dearth of doctors, there is a shortage of medicines and we are not able to cope with daily numbers, at that time, the thumb rule is that we should impose a lockdown immediately so we can ramp up our capacities and can prepare for the situation.”
The Maharashtra government claims a severe vaccine shortage. It says several of its vaccination sites have closed down because of the shortage. The Centre has denied the state’s claims.
With inputs from PTI