With 55,838 fresh cases in the first nine days of July, half of June count has already been covered. (Representational)
With 6,875 new Covid-19 cases, Maharashtra touched 2.30 lakh-mark on Thursday. Mumbai recorded 1,268 fresh cases, taking the virus count to 89,124. At least 219 deaths were reported across the state on the day, of which 68 were from Mumbai. The total toll in the state now stands at 9,667, while in Mumbai it is 5,132.
Pune, which recorded 1,130 cases Thursday, may soon surpass Mumbai in the daily count of Covid-19 cases. According to state officials, Pune has gradually increased its testing capacity — 5,000 persons tested daily – which has led to increased detection of cases. Mumbai, meanwhile, has hovered between 4,000 and 5,500 tests per day since May.
An analysis of month-wise cases due to Covid-19 shows the state recorded 302 cases in March, while 33 times more coronavirus patients – 10,196 – were detected in April. Between April and May, the fresh cases increased five times to 54,670. In entire June, 1,09,593 Covid cases were detected.
With 55,838 fresh cases in the first nine days of July, half of June count has already been covered.
State officials predict Maharashtra may reach its peak by August or September. “But there are several factors that come into play and lockdown has greatly slowed down the viral transmission,” a health official said. The state has 93,652 active infection cases, which are estimated to reach 1.5 lakh by the month-end. Mumbai accounts for 23,785 of the total active infections.
Of the 219 deaths on Thursday, maximum were concentrated in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Mumbai accounted for 68 deaths, Thane city 20, Kalyan Dombivali 18, Bhiwandi Nizampur 9, Navi Mumbai 5. Pune, meanwhile, accounted for 18 deaths and Pimpri Chinchwad seven. The state’s mortality rate stands at 4.19 per cent.
The entire MMR region accounts for half of the new cases recorded in the state. On Thursday, of 6,875 new cases, 3,346 were from MMR.
Of the total 89,124 Covid-19 cases, 5,132 have died and 60,195 have recovered in Mumbai. The city’s death rate stands at 5.7 per cent, higher than the state and national averages.