Mumbai’s daily Covid-19 cases drop to 2,554, lowest since mid-March – Mint

The Covid-19 caseload in the metropolis rose to 6,61,420 today.

In the last 24 hours, 5,240 people recovered from the deadly virus. Mumbai now has 51,380 active cases.

Tuesday’s case count of 2,554 was the lowest daily tally since 17 March, when the financial capital had recorded 2,377 infections.

Mumbai had reported the highest-ever 11,163 Covid-19 cases on 4 April.

15 Maha districts showing decline in Covid cases

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said 15 districts, including Mumbai and Thane, showed a decline in daily Covid-19 cases, but other districts still exhibiting an upward trend.

He said the government is targeting to reduce the number of coronavirus infections in the districts with the high caseload.

Tope said the state government was in talks with the manufacturer of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V to arrive at a purchase price for the jab. He said the global expression of interest, floated by the state government for vaccine purchase, has received a good response from companies.

“COVID-19 cases are still on the rise in around 20 districts, including Sangli, Satara, Buldhana and Kolhapur, and our target is to reduce them,” Tope told reporters.

He said COVID-19 cases are declining daily in 15 districts – Mumbai, Dhule, Nanded, Bhandara, Thane, Nashik, Latur, Nandurbar, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Amravati, Raigad, Osmabanad, Chandrapur and Gondia.

The district administrations in areas where cases are rising have been asked to increase bed capacity in hospitals, the minister said. He said the state, reeling under a second wave of the infection, has recorded a 5% drop in test positivity rate, from 27% to 22%.

The minister said there has been no reduction in the number of coronavirus testing. “The number of daily tests ranges between 2.5 lakh and 2.8 lakh of which RT-PCR (lab technique) accounts for 65% and RAT (rapid antigen test) 35%,” he said.

The state, the worst-hit by the infection in the country, will be getting 3.5 lakh vials of Remdesivir, a key COVID-19 drug, and 20,000 oxygen concentrators.

Of the Remdesivir stock to be received by Maharashtra, 40,000 injections have been delivered and already utilised, Tope said. He said nine lakh vaccine doses have been received for the 45-plus age group.

Tope said, “45% of the beneficiaries aged 45 and above have been vaccinated so far.” In each district, people under the 18-44 age group (for whom inoculation opened on May 1) are being vaccinated at five centres and so far nearly a lakh beneficiaries in the youngest category have received their doses, he said.