Maha reports 33,470 new COVID-19 cases, down 10,918 from day ago; 8 more die

Mumbai, Jan 10 (PTI) Maharashtra on Monday recorded 33,470 new coronavirus cases, 10,918 less than the previous day, taking its tally to 69,53,514, while eight fresh deaths linked to the infection pushed the toll to 1,41,647, the state health department said.

An official said Maharashtra also reported 31 new cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, raising their count to 1,247. Of the 31 new cases of the highly contagious variant, 28 were reported from Pune city, two are from Pune rural and one from Pimpri-Chinchwad industrial township.

With addition of new cases and deaths, the state's COVID-19 tally jumped to 69,53,514, while the toll rose to 1,41,647, the department said.

Of the 33,470 new cases and eight deaths in the state, 13,648 infections and five fatalities were reported from Mumbai city alone.

The state had reported 44,388 COVID-19 cases and 12 fatalities on Sunday.

The number of recovered cases surged to 66,02,103 after 29,671 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, the department said.

Maharashtra's coronavirus recovery rate is 94.95 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.03 per cent, the official said.

According to the official, Maharashtra's tally of active cases has shot up to 2,06,046 due to the widening gap between new and recovered infections.

As many as 12,46,729 people are in home quarantine and another 2,505 in institutional quarantine in the state.

The official said 1,73,766 coronavirus tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking their cumulative tally to 7,07,18,911.

The Mumbai region, which comprises the metropolis and its satellite cities, recorded 23,811 new cases, followed by the Pune region (5608), Nashik ( 1421), Nagpur (1213), Kolhapur (446), Aurangabad (395), Latur (349 ) and the Akola region (227), a health department bulletin said.

The Mumbai region reported 6 fresh fatalities followed by two in the Pune region, it said.

Other regions did not report any fresh COVID-19 fatalities in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, speaking in Jalna, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic has started and it is expected to peak by January-end.

He also said the 14-day quarantine period has been halved to seven days.

He appealed to the people to strictly follow COVID-19 norms to keep themselves and others safe.

"The third wave of the pandemic has started. It is expected to peak by January-end," Tope told reporters.

He expressed concerns over many political leaders not adhering to the pandemic protocols despite the rise in cases in Maharashtra.

Quoting an Urdu proverb, 'Jaan hai to Jahaan hai', Tope said everyone needed to follow the norms put in place to stem the coronavirus spread.

"Due to the spike in cases, the closure of schools is necessary to protect children from coronavirus. People should support the restrictions announced by the government," he added.

Tope said he had spoken with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya during a virtual meeting about the pandemic situation on Monday.

In this meeting, utilisation of funds under the ECRP 2 (Emergency COVID Response Plans) for preparedness and prevention of the pandemic was discussed, he said.

The minister said only four per cent of the total 17,000 oxygenated beds in Maharashtra remain occupied as of now.

Coronavirus figures of Maharashtra are as follows: Positive cases 69,53,514; fresh cases 33,470; death toll 1,41,647; recoveries 66,02,103; active cases 2,06,046, total tests 7,07,18,911. PTI KK COR NSK RSY RSY