An artist arranges idols of Lord Ganesh inside a tempo van for display and sale in Pune on Sunday.
Maharashtra Mumbai Coronavirus News Live Updates: The death toll in Mumbai inched closer towards the 5,000 mark after the total rose to 4,899 on Sunday. Over 80 per cent fatalities due to Covid-19 have been recorded among patients above 50 years, an analysis of data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation shows. While Mumbai’s mortality rate is currently six per cent, the average death rate among patients above 50 years is 15 per cent, it has found.
While the statewide count stood at 2.06 lakh, as many as 84,524 have been infected in the city. Overall, the city accounts for 41 per cent of the state’s Covid-19 load.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that a decision on reopening hotels and restaurants will be taken soon after finalising a standard operating procedure (SOP) to be followed by the industry. “There are no hurdles in reopening hotels but they will have to adhere to the SOP formulated by the state government. The SOP is being prepared and will be finalised soon. Then, the decision on reopening hotels and restaurants can be taken,” he said.
The dry fish market in Nehru chowk, Shukrawar Peth in Pune, reopened for business on Sunday.
Over 80 per cent fatalities due to Covid-19 have been recorded among patients above 50 years, an analysis of data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation shows. While Mumbai’s mortality rate is currently six per cent, the average death rate among patients above 50 years is 15 per cent, it has found. According to the civic body’s war room dashboard, there were a total of 76,822 infection cases on July 1, of which 33,190 patients or 43.17 per cent were above 50 years. Of the total infected, 56.82 per cent are those who are up to 50 years old. The fatality rate among Covid-19 patients who are over 50 is, however, substantially higher. Of the total 4,625 deaths recorded in Mumbai till July 1, at least 3,705 fatalities or 80.12 per cent are from this age group. Only 920, or 19.88 per cent, of the total fatalities due to the virus were patients below 50 years. The average death rate among patients above 50 years is 15 per cent, while it is 1.52 per cent among those below 50 years.
From Monday, BMC-run hospitals in Mumbai will start administering Remdesivir drug to moderate and severely-ill patients. Until now, only Seven Hills hospital in the city had got Remdesivir stock on donation. KEM hospital, Sion hospital and Nair hospital, which are treating a huge number of Covid-19 patients, are yet to begin the use of the investigational anti-viral drug. The BMC has purchased 15,000 vials of Remdesivir from Hetero Healthcare at a cost of Rs 4,144 each. Hetero Healthcare, which is selling the drug under brand name Covifor, is one of the five companies that has signed a licensed agreement with Gilead Sciences to manufacture and distribute Remdesivir in India and Pakistan. The market price is Rs 5400, but BMC got the stock at a discounted rate for bulk order.
Maharashtra’s fatality rate stands at 4.2 per cent and recovery rate at 54 per cent. Of the over 11 lakh people tested so far, 18.5 per cent have been found to be infected. Health officials said the high positivity rate is due to targeted testing and slowly rising viral transmission in the community. Mumbai accounts for a higher positivity rate with over 22.5 per cent of those being examined testing positive for Covid-19.
While Thane district in MMR recorded 349 new cases, the figure for Pune district was 882, taking their case load to 11,959 and 22,236, respectively. Along with Mumbai, Thane and Pune districts now account for 57 per cent of the total state load. Across Maharashtra, of the 151 people who succumbed on Sunday, the bulk were from MMR and Pune region. While Mumbai accounted for 69 deaths, 20 died in Pune, eight in Kalyan Dombivali, four each in Thane and Vasai-Virar, three from Bhiwandi Nizampur and one from Mira Bhayander. The remaining deaths were reported from across the state.
Maharashtra on Sunday recorded 6,555 new cases of Covid-19, taking the statewide count to 2.06 lakh. It also reported an overall toll of 8,822, with 151 people succumbing to the virus. Mumbai reported 1,287 fresh cases – 19 per cent of the cases reported on Sunday – taking the number of infected in the city to 84,524. With at least 69 deaths being reported, Mumbai has recorded a toll of 4,899 until Sunday. Follow our live blog for all the latest updates.