Covid: Maharashtra Sees 63% Rise In Daily Cases At 694, Highest In Five Months

Maharashtra Covid-19 Cases: The last time the state recorded such a high number of infections was on October 27 at 972 cases.

Maharashtra registered 694 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, a 63 per cent jump in infections. The is the highest number of cases since October last year. However, no deaths related to Covid was recorded in the last 24 hours, the health bulletin said.

The state's active cases tally currently stands at 3,016. The last time the state recorded such a high number of infections was on October 27 at 972 cases.

A total of 184 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours. The recovery rate stands at 98.14 percent.

The state reported 483 cases on Wednesday. Most of the coronavirus cases is being reported in districts such as Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Raigad, Nashik and Sangli.

The positivity rate was the highest in Solapur and Sangli districts at 20.05 per cent and 17.47 per cent respectively.

Maharashtra has witnessed an increase in the number of Covid cases over the last few days. Experts have said the new XBB.1.16 variant of the coronavirus could be driving the surge, PTI reported.

The XBB.1.16 variant has been found in swab samples of 230 patients in the state so far. "Out of the 230 cases, 151 are from Pune followed by Aurangabad 24, Thane 23, Kolhapur and Ahmednagar 11 each, Amravati 8 and one each in Mumbai and Raigad. Out of the 230 cases, one patient has succumbed to the infection while others have recovered," the statement said.

On Thursday, India recorded a single-day rise of 3,016 fresh coronavirus cases, the highest in six months, while the active cases increased to 13,509, according to Union Health Ministry data. The country's Covid-19 death toll has increased to 5,30,862 with 14 latest fatalities

The Centre has asked states and Union Territories to increase proportion of RT-PCR tests as well as booster dose coverage, especially for the vulnerable population group. 

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan also asked the states to undertake mock drills across all health facilities on April 10 and 11 to ensure operational readiness of hospital infrastructure, including oxygen cylinders, PSA plants, ventilators, logistics and human resources.