Pune Metropolitan Region’s tally tops 26,000-mark, 16 deaths push toll to 822

PUNE: The addition of over 1,000 Covid-19 cases on the third consecutive day pushed up the total tally in Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR) above 26,000 on Friday. With this, PMR has become second after Mumbai in the state to cross 25,000 cases so far.
As many as 1,199 people tested positive for the contagion in PMR on Friday, which shot up the region’s tally to 26,143. Besides, 16 more patients succumbed to Covid-19 in PMR in the last 24 hours, taking the total casualty count to 822.

Among fresh positive cases, 761 were reported in Pune municipal limits, 322 in Pimpri Chinchwad and 116 in rural and Cantonment areas. The PMR crossed the 26,000-mark in a span of 125 days from March 9 when the first two cases were recorded in the PMC limits.
The total cases in the PMC areas stand at 19,772, whereas the total tally in PCMC limits has now reached 4,172.
A PMC report stated that 389 patients were critical in the municipal limits, of whom 59 were on ventilator support. About 619 patients were discharged in PMC limit on Friday after they were declared cured. For the last four consecutive days, over 500 patients have been discharged in the PMC limits.
Besides, 6,874 active patients were undergoing treatment at hospitals and Covid centres in the PMC limits.
Among the patients who succumbed to the contagion in PMR, two deaths were recorded at the Sassoon General Hospital. These included a 70-year-old man from the Hadapsar area, a 62-year-old woman from the Dandekar bridge area. A 65-year-old woman from Bopodi died at the district hospital in Aundh.
Those who died at private hospital included a 74-year-old man from Kothrud, a 67-year-old man from Warje Malwadi, a 66-year-old man from Dhayari, a 70-year-old woman from Lohiyanagar, an 85-year-old man from the Vadgaon Budruk area, a 73-year-old man from Tingrenagar and a 21-year-old woman from Pimpri.
The PMC collected over 4,250 swab samples on Friday and sent for testing.
As per the district health office, over 16,000 patients have been discharged in PMR after being declared cured. “As many as 9,165 patients are undergoing treatment at various hospitals and Covid centres in PMR,” an official from the district health office said.
The civic as well as district health authorities have urged people to exercise caution with venturing out and always wear facemask when going out in public. Besides, people have been urged to practice frequent washing of hands to keep the infection at bay.