Maharashtra, on Wednesday, reported the highest single-day jump of 13,164 COVID-19 cases, taking its tally to 6,28,642. The previous single-day highest was 12,822, which was reported on August 9. Meanwhile, the death toll in the state has crossed the 21,000 mark, with 346 fatalities being reported in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 21,033 so far.
Of the 346 deaths, 249 were from the last 48 hours, 59 from the last week, and 38 from the period before last week. Of the total deaths, 109 were from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), followed by 110 in Pune, 35 in Kolhapur, 32 in Nagpur, 31 in Nashik, 12 in Akola, 11 in Latur, and five in Aurangabad, while one death was reported from another state.
Meanwhile, authorities are gearing up to counter a spike in cases this month end or early September, owing to crowding during Ganeshotsav. Although most parts of the state are witnessing their peak and the downward trend of infection is expected to begin by August-end, authorities and the state-level task force appointed for the clinical management of the critical patients are wary.
“At today’s meeting with collectors and divisional commissioners, the chief minister has asked them to be very careful about crowding during the festival. He has asked district authorities to increase lockdown curbs during the festival and rigorously follow state guidelines. The public mandals have been asked to arrange for online darshan of Ganpati idols to avoid crowding. The CM has also been asking authorities, during review meetings, to ensure that there is no emergence of a second wave in any of the districts,” said a state official.
Meanwhile, the city has witnessed a sudden rise in the number of cases in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases has now increased to 1,31,542, with 1,132 new cases being reported on Wednesday. 46 patients succumbed to the virus, taking the total death toll to 7,265 so far.
So far, a total of 33.37 lakh tests have been conducted in the state, of which nearly 18.84 per cent were positive. There are 11.62 lakh people in home quarantine and over 37,094 in institutional quarantine.
