Maharashtra tops 20,000-mark; toll rises to 779

Maharashtra tops 20,000-mark; toll rises to 779

State registers 48 deaths, the highest in a day

10/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,MUMBAI

Taking stock: New municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, second from right, inspecting areas in Dharavi. Ravi Nadar

Maharashtra recorded 1,165 more COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 20,228 on Saturday. The State also recorded 48 deaths, the highest in a day, taking the toll to 779. The case fatality rate stands at 3.8%.

Of the 48 deaths, 27 were in Mumbai, 10 in Pune, eight in Malegaon and one each in Akola, Nanded and Amravati. While 21 of them were men, 27 were women. Health officials said 28 patients had such underlying conditions as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, which made their recovery difficult.

The number of cases has doubled in the State in 10 days, while the number of deaths has doubled in 13 days.

Two districts in green

Only two districts — Wardha and Gadchiroli — remain in the green zone. All the other 33 districts have reported cases. Mumbai remains the worst affected, with nearly 64% of the cases and 63% of the deaths reported from the city alone.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region, consisting of Thane, Navi Mumbai and other areas, has the highest number of cases in the State. The Pune Municipal Corporation has recorded 1,975 cases and 141 deaths.

Malegaon has emerged as an area of concern, with 472 cases and 20 deaths.

On Saturday, 330 patients were discharged from hospitals across the State. A total of 3,800 patients has been discharged so far after recovery.

As many as 2.41 lakh people in the State are in home quarantine and 13,976 in institutional quarantine. The State has 1,243 active containment zones and has carried out nearly 2.27 lakh tests.