Mumbai News

Maharashtra, Mumbai, Pune Coronavirus Highlights: Maharashtra’s tally crosses 6 lakh mark, death toll near 20,000 – The Indian Express

Covid-19 testing in Mumbai. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Maharashtra on Monday crossed the six lakh mark with the addition of 8,493 new cases of COVID-19, while 228 more patients succumbed to the infection, 40 of them in Mumbai. The state’s coronavirus count rose to 6,04,358 after 8,493 fresh cases were reported, while 228 new deaths took the fatality tally to 20,265. Also, 11,391 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the tally of recovered cases to 4,28,514. There are 1,55,268 active cases in the state.

Read Maharashtra, Mumbai, Pune Coronavirus Live Updates

Mumbai reported 753 new cases and 40 deaths, taking its tally to 1,29,479 and the toll to 7,173. The number of active cases in Mumbai stood at 17,704. Pune city reported 919 new cases along with 26 deaths, pushing up its COVID-19 tally to 80,407 and the toll to 2,077. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region — which covers Mumbai and surrounding towns — reported 2,104 new coronavirus cases, taking its total to 2,89,402. Also, 74 deaths took the total fatalities in the region to 11,614, the official said.

PMC health staff conduct thermal scanning in a society on Sinhagad road, Pune, on Thursday. (Express photo by Ashish Kale)

Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis Saturday termed Maharashtra as the “COVID capital” of the country, PTI reported. He stressed that testing needs to be ramped up to check the spread of coronavirus and to bring the fatality rate under control.

“Maharashtra has become the COVID capital of the country as the state accounts for 24 per cent of the total number of cases in India. The state also accounts for 41 per cent of the total deaths in the country,” Fadnavis said.

“Conducting antigen tests is a good thing but the number of RT-PCR tests should be increased,” the former CM said, adding that the current ratio of RT-PCR and antigen tests is 1:2, which should be equal.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Corporation Minister Balasaheb Patil tested positive for coronavirus and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Karad, reported PTI.

The NCP leader tested positive on Friday night, according to a statement issued by his office.

Earlier, Maharashtra ministers Ashok Chavan and Aslam Shaikh of the Congress, Jitendra Ahwad, Dhananjay Munde and Sanjay Bansode of NCP, and Abdul Sattar of the Shiv Sena have tested positive for the virus and recovered from it.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/maharashtra-mumbai-pune-coronavirus-live-updates-6556695/