Maharashtra’s daily Covid tally goes up with 8,172 cases; Mumbai sees 469 infections – Hindustan Times

Maharashtra on Saturday continued to witness an increase in its daily tally of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) after 8,172 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, taking the caseload to 6,205,190, according to the health department’s bulletin. As many as 124 people died and 8,950 recovered from the viral disease in the said period and the cumulative figures of deaths and recoveries have climbed to 126,851 and 5,974,594 respectively, the bulletin further showed.

This is the third time this week that Maharashtra’s daily cases breached the 8,000-mark. Earlier, the state recorded 8,602 on Wednesday and 8,010 cases on Thursday. Saturday’s case count in Maharashtra is 411 more than that of Friday’s when 7,761 cases were recorded. The toll, however, is 43 less than that of Friday’s when 167 people succumbed to Covid-19.

The state capital Mumbai on Saturday recorded 469 new cases and 12 more deaths, taking the caseload and death toll to 730,703 and 15,690 respectively. On Friday, the city recorded 443 cases and 11 deaths.

A total of 30,053,656 beneficiaries have been vaccinated in Maharashtra so far and the state continues to grapple with a severe shortage of doses. Even though the state is leading in terms of total doses administered in the country, the lack of supply has led to shutting down of vaccination centres frequently.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, during the Covid-19 review with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, reiterated Maharashtra’s demand of 30 million vaccine doses per month in order to complete the inoculation drive in all districts. Pointing out that the state’s vaccine wastage is very less, Thackeray said on Friday that authorities are trying to inoculate frontline workers at the earliest.

Thackeray’s remarks at the review meeting come just two days after after Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope demanded that the Centre should provide more doses to the state so that the vaccination drive can be planned in a better wa and there is no overcrowding at the centres. “If we want to stop the third wave or want to reduce mortality rates, vaccination is the only solution,” Tope said on Thursday.