Over 1,000 COVID-19 cases in Mumbai; daily toll in Maharashtra spikes slightly

A person is tested at the dedicated COVID Health Centre at Ketkipada, Dahisar on Wednesday. Pic/Satej Shinde

The cases recorded in Maharashtra in the past 24 hours were close to 9,000 and over 1,000 in the city for the second consecutive day, as Mumbaikars continued to flout COVID-19 rules in public places.

The state recorded 8,998 new cases, fewer than Wednesday's tally, but still on the higher side. Mumbai reported 1,104 new cases on Thursday. The drop in cases over the past few days was due to fewer number of tests, said sources. In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Thane Municipal Corporation, Navi Mumbai and Kalyan-Dombivli Corporation continued to record cases in three digits with 188, 153 and 248, respectively.

The BMC said it has been conducting an average of 20,000 tests daily now, compared to 16,000 tests in early February. It increased testing around mid-February after the city started reporting a spike in cases The number of new fatalities, which remained stable for the past many months, increased slightly with 60, taking the state's toll to 52,340. Of the 60 deaths, 16 were recorded in Akola circle - four each in Amravati Municipal Corporation and Yavatmal, seven in Amravati and one in Akola Municipal Corporation. The MMR recorded 11 cases, including five each in Mumbai and Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation along with one in Thane Municipal Corporation.

BMC officials said out of the five deceased, four patients were suffering from other ailments and three were senior citizens. The state's recovery rate, which has dropped, now stands at 93.66 per cent with 6,135 patients being discharged across the state on Thursday. Mumbai's recovery rate, too, has declined to 93 per cent, and the doubling rate continues to drop and now stands at 238 days.

The city's overall growth rate has increased in the past one week and is currently at 0.29 per cent, and has 10,452 active cases. Mumbai has so far confirmed 3,29,846 COVID-19 cases, with nearly 33.53 lakh tests being conducted. The mortality rate in the state has, however, dropped and was 2.39 per cent as of Thursday. The number of deaths due to other causes in the state stands at 1,215. These people died of other complications, after recovering from COVID-19.

Meanwhile, 1.65 crore laboratory samples were collected across the state so far, of which 21.88 lakh tested positive. The state's positivity ratio stands at 13.18 per cent.

21,88,183
Total No. of cases in maharashtra

2,103
Total no. of cases reported in MMR in the last 24 hours

5
No. of deaths in city on Wednesday (Four patients were suffering from other ailments and three were senior citizens)

654
Patients recovered and discharged in city today

2,49,620
(Total no. of people administered the first vaccine dose)

33,668
(No. of people who have taken their second vaccine dose so far)

19,574
(No. of people who took their first vaccine dose on Thursday)

3,401
(No. of people who took their second vaccine dose on Thursday)