Mumbai: Maharashtra recorded 552 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, making it the highest single-day jump in cases for the state. Most of the cases were in Mumbai (456), with the city accounting for more than half of the total cases in the state (4,200), at 2,798.
The total number of deaths in the state has surged to 223, with 12 more fatalities being reported on Sunday, six of them from Mumbai. Civic officials attributed the giant jump in cases to the number of cases being reported by private laboratories.
Of the 456 new cases, 154 had tested positive between April 14 and April 16 in private laboratories and the numbers were updated on Sunday, said an official. Four of the 12 deaths were recorded in Malegaon and one each in the Solapur Municipal Corporation and in Jamkhed, Ahmednagar. Of the 12 dead, four were male and eight female.
Six of the deceased were aged over 60 years, five were in the 40-60 age group and one was under 40 years of age. “Information on co-morbidities in the four patients who died in Malegaon is yet to be received. Six of the eight patients (75%) had high-risk co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma and heart disease.
The Covid-19 death toll in the state has now gone up to 223,” informed a health official. To curb the increasing number of cases and the high mortality rate, the state government had appointed two expert committees: one for Mumbai and the other for the rest of Maharashtra. “The draft will be submitted to the government, and it will be finalised in a day or two.
The final document will be the standard treatment protocol, aimed at early diagnosis, early treatment and reducing mortality,” said Dr Subhash Salunkhe, technical adviser to the government on pandemic control. According to the public health department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai recorded 135 new corona cases and six deaths on Sunday.
The total number of cases in the city is 2,798, with 131 deaths so far. “The state health department collects data from civic bodies in the afternoon, resulting in a difference in numbers every day. The remaining cases will be reflected in the following day’s report,” said the official.
“The number of cases in the state have increased due to aggressive testing, contact tracing and due to the natural course of progression,” said the official. Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said, while positive patients are being identified and put under treatment, their high-risk contacts are immediately being quarantined.
“All measures are being taken so that there is no further spread of the infection,” he said. According to the state health department, 3,214 positive cases were reported in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), of which 2,724 were from Mumbai and 490 from Navi Mumbai.
So far, 148 corona deaths have occurred in this region. Of the 72,023 laboratory samples, 67,673 were negative and 4, 200 have been tested positive for coronavirus until today. So far 501 have recovered and discharged. Currently, 87,254 people are in home quarantine and 6,743 people are in institutional quarantine.
