Maharashtra: COVID-19 cases zoom again, death toll crosses 68K

Mumbai: After a day’s lull, Covid-19 fatalities against shot up in Maharashtra with the state’s toll crossing the 68,000 mark, and no respite in Mumbai deaths, health officials said here on Friday.

Against 771 deaths on Thursday, the state now recorded 828 fatalities, taking up the toll to 68,813.

The number of new infections remained above the 60,000 mark, but went down from 66,159 on Thursday to 62,919 on Friday, taking up the state tally to 46,02,472.

The Mumbai infections remained below the 5,000 level, dropping from 4,174 to 3,888, and the city’s tally rose to 684,471.

However, Mumbai’s daily deaths rose from 82 on Thursday to 89 now, and the total fatalities in the country’s commercial capital stood at 13,125 now.

The state death rate remained stable at 1.05 per cent for the fourth day running, and the number of active cases dropped to 662,640 now.

On the brighter side, 69,710 fully cured patients returned home, taking the total above the 38 lakh mark, to 38,68,976 now, with the recovery rate improving from 83.59 per cent on Thursday to 84.06 per cent now.

Mumbai Circle – comprising Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and Raigad districts – recorded a drop in new cases to 11,140, while the tally rose to 13,70,879, and with 147 more deaths, the toll stood at 23,306.

Of the day’s fatalities, Pune led with 150 deaths, while there were 89 in Mumbai, 44 in Nagpur, 40 in Solapur, 39 in Chandrapur, 37 in Thane, 34 in Nashik, 31 each in Ahmednagar and Yavatmal, 30 in Satara, 27 in Nanded, 25 in Nandurbar, 24 in Jalgaon, 22 in Latur, 19 in Amravati, 18 each in Raigad and Osmanabad, 17 in Aurangabad, 16 each in Sangli, Parbhani, and Beed, 14 in Washim, 12 in Jalna, 11 in Buldhana, seven each in Sindhudurg, Hingoli, and Gadchiroli, six in Wardha, five in Gondia, four each in Akola and Bhandara, three each in Palghar and Kolhapur, and one in Ratnagiri.

Dhule was the only district recording zero fatalities.

Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home isolation increased to 41,93,686 now, while those shunted to institutional quarantine went down to 26,462.