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Maharashtra's COVID cases below 30,000 for first time since March-end; At 1240, Mumbai logs lowest infections

PTI

M UMBAI: The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra plunged below the 30,000-mark on Monday with the state reporting 26,616 new infections, taking the count to 54,05,068, the health department said.

This was the lowest single-day count since March 30 when the state had reported 27,918 infections.

According to a health department statement, 516 COVID-19 deaths were also reported, which took the number of fatalities due to the respiratory disease to 82,486.

Of the total deaths, 289 occurred over the past 48 hours, while 227 fatalities took place last week, but were added to the toll on Monday, it said.

The statement said 48,211 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, pushing the number of recovered cases to 48,74,582.

The state is not left with 4,45,495 activecases.

Mumbai city reported 1,232 new cases, taking its tally to 6,89,062, while 48 new deaths pushed the toll to 14,272, it said.

The COVID-19 recovery rate of the state stood at 90.19 per cent, while the death rate was 1.53 per cent, the statement said.

Maharashtra's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positivecases: 54,05,068; newcases26,616; deaths: 82,486; discharged 48,74,582; activecases: 4,45,495; people tested so far: 3,13,38,407.

Mumbai reported 1,240 new COVID- 19 cases, the lowest single-day count since March 9, and 48 more deaths on Monday, the city civic body said.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s updated data, with the addition of 1,240 cases, the tally of coronavirus infection rose to 6,89,936, while the death toll increased to 14,308.

The financial capital has reported around 300 fewer cases and 12 less fatalities as compared to Sunday, when the city had witnessed 1,544 new cases and 60 deaths.

This was also the fifth day in a row that Mumbai recorded less than 2,000 cases.

The city witnessed a decline in the daily coronavirus tests as only 17,640 COVID-19 samples, the lowest so far this month, were examined in the last 24 hours, taking the number of tests done till now to 59,16,245.

The count of recovered patients outnumbered the new COVID-19 cases.

According to the BMC, 2,587 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, taking the tally of recovered cases to 6,39,340.

The number of active COVID-19 cases dipped to 34,288, the civic body said.

The city has a COVID-19 recovery rate of 93 per cent, it said.

Mumbai had witnessed the highest-ever 11,163 cases in a day on April 4, while the maximum fatalities during the second COVID-19 wave - at 90 - were recorded May 1.

As per the BMC data, the city's average growth rate of COVID-19 cases for the period between May 9 and May 15 was 0.28 per cent, while the doubling rate stood at 246 days.

According to the BMC, Mumbai has 77 active containment zones in slums and 'chawls' (old row tenements), while the number of sealed buildings (where certain number of residents were found coronavirus positive) has dipped to 311.

The COVID-19 vaccination drive in Mumbai, that was suspended for three days due to the extremely severe cyclonic storm Tauktae, will resume from Tuesday at select centres, the city civic body said on Monday.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in a release, said that walk-in vaccination will be carried out at select inoculation centres on May 18 and 19.

As a precaution after the Tauktae alert, the civic body of Mumbai had suspended the inoculation drive for three days - Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Under the influence of the extremely severe cyclonic storm, Mumbai and its adjoining districts were lashed by heavy rains and high-speed winds overnight and on Monday.

The weather system has now moved to the coast of neighbouring Gujarat.

The civic body said the vaccination won't take place at centres affected by the cyclone which damaged structures.

The list of the centres, where vaccine doses will be administered over the next two days, will be updated, the BMC said.

It said citizens above 60 years of age will be given the first dose of Covishield vaccine, whose dosage gap has been increased to 12 to 16 weeks from the earlier 6 to 8 weeks, on May 18 and 19.

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