Pune district reported 2,618 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking its count to 75,400, while the death toll increased by 55 to touch 1,792, an official said on Tuesday.
Of the new cases, 1,133 are in Pune Municipal Corporation limits, which now has 47,919 cases, while 1,130 cases were in Pimpri Chinchwad.
"Pimpri Chinchwad now has 18,771 cases, while the number in the rural and cantonment areas is 8,710. A total of 591 people were discharged during the day as well," he said.
Meanwhile, Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday held a review meeting on the COVID-19 situation in Pune via video conferencing and assured all help from the Centre in the fight against the pandemic.
Javadekar, who hails from Pune in Maharashtra, urged the people to take all precautions, particularly wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing.
"Today I held a review meeting on COVID-19 situation in Pune via video conferencing with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in the presence of State Health Minister Rajesh Tope, Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol and other senior officials," the Information and Broadcasting Minister said.
"I assured Centre's all possible help for providing ventilators and testing kits. I appeal to all Punekars to take all precautions particularly wearing masks and maintaining social distancing," he said on Twitter.
In related news, members of a visiting central team of experts on Tuesday asked the Pune district administration to take measures to bring down the COVID-19 mortality rate.
The chief of the three-member team, Kunal Kumar, chaired a review meeting with district administration officials where they took stock of the COVID-19 situation in Pune, which has registered a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the last few weeks.
The meeting was held at the divisional commissioner's office.
According to an official statement, Kumar, speaking at the meeting, emphasised on treating COVID-19 patients as per protocols set by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The district administration should analyse the reasons for the current mortality rate among novel coronavirus patients and take steps to bring it down to zero, he said, according to the release.
Medical officers of private hospitals shared their views on the pandemic with the team of experts sent by the Union government, it added.
