A beneficiary stands outside a closed vaccination centre after the COVID-19 vaccine got out of stock, in Mumbai, Thursday, April 8, 2021. (PTI Photo) Maharashtra Covid-19 cases update: Private vaccination centers will remain closed in Mumbai for the next three days as Maharashtra underwent a complete lockdown for the weekend starting 8 pm from today. However, government vaccination centers would remain open in the city. This comes amid complaints of vaccine shortage in the state.
The weekend lockdown began at 8 pm today and would continue until 7 am on Monday. The new curbs, called ‘Break the Chain’, were announced on April 4 and are to remain in force till the end of the month.
Maharashtra reported 58,993 new coronavirus cases on Friday, which took its caseload to 32,88,540, while 301 deaths due to the infection pushed the toll to 57,329, the health department said. There are 5,34,603 active cases in the state with total recoveries standing at 26,95,148. Capital Mumbai crossed five lakh total Covid-19 infections today with 9,200 new cases.
Maharashtra is among the fastest-growing states in the country in terms of caseload.
Here are the latest Covid-19 developments from Maharashtra
CM Uddhav to hold all-party meet on Saturday
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will hold an all-party meeting on April 10 to discuss the Covid-19 situation in the state, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Pravin Darekar said.
Darekar said the decision to organise the all-party meeting was taken this afternoon. “This decision was taken during the meeting held today to decide the postponement of MPSC exams scheduled for Sunday,” PTI quoted him as saying.
‘Complete lockdown’ required for 2-3 weeks to improve health infrastructure: Tope
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said a “complete lockdown” of two to three weeks is required in the state to improve the health infrastructure, adding that he hoped the government would be able to control the surge with curbs in place at present.
Residents queue up at a chicken shop ahead of weekend lockdown which starts at 8 pm on Friday. (Express photo by Pavan Khengre)
However, Tope said that a ‘complete lockdown’ could be imposed if the government is unable to cope with the situation. “We would need a complete lockdown for 15 days to three weeks even though I am not in favour of that immediately. If hospitals are overwhelmed, if there is a shortage of medicines and if the government is unable to cope with the growing number of patients then such a step can be taken,” Tope told NDTV.
Lockdown is required to ramp up the health infrastructure, he said.
Pune, Satara, Solapur run out of vaccines
Pune, Satara and Solapur districts have run out of Covid-19 vaccine doses, and health authorities have made a fresh demand for 2.5 lakh doses. “We are hoping to get some of the supply by Friday evening,” said Dr Sanjay Deshmukh, Deputy Director, Pune circle, which includes the three districts.
A notice board displayed at Sane Guruji Hospital in Hadapsar as the Covid vaccination center remained closed due to the shortage of Covid Vaccine on Friday. (Express photo by Ashish Kale)
A stock of 2.5 lakh doses has been proposed for Pune district while 25,000 doses each have been sought for Solapur and Satara. The districts had 26,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine early on Friday, which have now been exhausted. There are 70,000 doses of Covaxin reserved as for administering the second dose to beneficiaries from April 13.
Political leaders getting vaccinated at home: Bombay HC
Coming down heavily on some political leaders in Maharashtra receiving the Covid-19 vaccine at their residences, the Bombay High Court on Friday said if the prime minister and president of the country can go to hospitals and get inoculated, then politicians in the state should also follow suit.
A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni was hearing a PIL filed by advocates Dhruti Kapadia and Kunal Tiwari seeking door-to-door vaccination facility for senior citizens above the age of 75, specially-abled persons and those who are bed-ridden or wheel-chair bound.
Beneficiaries gather outside a vaccination center due to shortage of COVID-19 vaccine, amid coronavirus pandemic, at Goregaon in Mumbai, Friday, April 9, 2021. (PTI Photo)
The bench asked if the policy was not available then how come some political leaders of Maharashtra were getting vaccinated in their homes. “Political leaders in Maharashtra are getting the jab sitting at their homes. If policy does not permit door-to-door, then how come for these politicians the policy is different. There has to be uniform policy for all,” Chief Justice Datta said. “Everyone including the prime minister and president of India are going to centres and hospitals to get the vaccine. The political leaders of Maharashtra are not a class apart. This sends a wrong message,” the court said.
No stock, many Mumbai vaccination centres shut down, more to follow today
With Covid-19 vaccine stock over, at least 25 of 120 private vaccination centres in Mumbai were shut on Thursday. By Friday, the numbers will double and from Saturday, Mumbai will be forced to completely stop vaccinations if stocks are not replenished, said officials, adding that the city is left with less than a lakh doses. Hospitals like Fortis, SL Raheja, Breach Candy, SRCC, Parsee General and Holy Family hospital turned away eligible beneficiaries on Thursday.
Swab testing by health workers at Juhu beach in Mumbai. (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Maharashtra faces bed shortage, Nagpur worst affected
An analysis of bed availability in eight cities shows that vacancy for oxygen, ventilator and ICU beds is only between 3 to 18 per cent. Nagpur is the worst affected. On Thursday, it had only three ventilator beds left.
Even though municipal corporations are working overtime to increase bed capacity in these cities, the rising caseload make patients face an uphill task in accessing beds for treatment. Mumbai on Thursday had 16.9 per cent oxygen, ICU and ventilators available, down from 17.9 per cent. Pune’s bed vacancy dipped from 14.3 to 13.3 per cent and Nashik saw steepest drop in a day, from 20 to 18.2 per cent.
Pune’s bed vacancy dipped from 14.3 to 13.3 per cent
Centre okays more Covid-19 vaccine doses, Maharashtra not in top 5
A day after a heated exchange of words between Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and Maharashtra over the latter’s demand for more vaccine stock, the Centre Thursday increased the state’s allocation to 17.43 lakh doses — from 7.43 lakh it had been assured on April 1. Kerala’s supply was also scaled up, from 4.74 to 7.74 lakh doses. The fresh stock is expected in the next few days.
However, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the stock will still be insufficient. An order by the Union Health Ministry, accessed by The Indian Express, shows that 350 lakh Covishield doses are to be distributed in the coming days — Uttar Pradesh will receive 44.98 lakh doses, Madhya Pradesh 33.76 lakh, Karnataka 29.06 lakh, Haryana 24 lakh, West Bengal 21 lakh, Maharashtra 17.43 lakh, and Gujarat 15.57 lakh.
The Opposition has been alleging that the Centre is favouring BJP-ruled states in vaccine supply.
Pimpri-Chinchwad halts vaccination drive due to shortage of doses; Aundh centre to remain open
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) on Friday shut down all its 87 vaccination centres — 59 of its own and 28 private ones — owing to shortage of vaccines. However, the Pune Zilla Parishad said citizens from Pimpri-Chinchwad can get vaccinated at the Aundh General Hospital.
Man caught with 12 Remdesivir injections in Mumbai
A 22-year-man was caught with a dozen 12 vials of Remdesivir, a key medicine in treatment of coronavirus, here, police said on Friday. The man, Sarfaraz Hussain, was caught by the Crime Branch with the injections at Andheri (East) on Thursday evening, an official said. According to the official, the Crime Branch laid a trap after getting information abut the man trying to sell the anti-viral drug in the black market.
Uddhav to PM: Urge leaders not to play politics in Covid fight
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address all political leaders and instruct them not to play politics in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, said a statement issued by his office. Thackeray’s request to Modi came a day after Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan lashed out at Maharashtra and some other states, accusing them of “trying to divert attention from their poor vaccination efforts by just continuously shifting the goalposts”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a virtual meeting with Chief Ministers during a Covid-19 review meeting. (Source: Narendra Modi/ YouTube)
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