Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally rises to 2,54,427; case fatality rate falls to 4.04%

On Sunday, July 12, Maharashtra recorded 7,827 novel coronavirus cases, propelling the state's COVID-19 tally to 2,54,427. At present, there are 1,03,516 active cases in the state. With 3,340 COVID-19 patients discharged in the day, the number of recovered soared to 1,40,325.

173 deaths- 44 from Mumbai, 28 from Thane, 27 from Pune, 10 each from Navi Mumbai and Pimpri-Chinchwad, 8 from Nashik, 7 from Vasai-Virar, 6 from Aurangabad, 5 from Kalyan-Dombivali, three each from Solapur, Jalna and Nanded, two each from Dhule, Jalgaon, Bhiwandi and Mira Bhayandar and one each from Ulhasnagar, Raigad, Panvel, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri, Latur, Beed, Akola, and Bhandara were reported on Sunday. 

Until now, a total of 10,289 persons have died owing to COVID-19. So far, 13,17,895 samples have been tested for the novel coronavirus in labs operational across the state. While 6,86,150 persons are under home quarantine, 47,801 others have been admitted to institutional quarantine centres. The COVID-19 positivity rate, recovery rate, and fatality rate in Maharashtra stands at 19.3%, 55.15%, and 4.04% respectively. 

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Aaditya Thackeray slams UGC's diktat on exams

Maharashtra Environment, Tourism, and Protocol Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Friday lashed out at the HRD Ministry and the UGC for mandating that the final year university exam should be conducted by September end. The Maharashtra government has consistently ruled out holding exams for all students in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Terming the decision as "absolutely absurd", he urged the UGC not to make this an ego issue.

Maintaining that the lives of lakhs of students, teachers, and non-teaching staff are at risk, he questioned whether the HRD Ministry and the UGC would take responsibility for their well-being. He cited factors such as mental stress and incomplete syllabus to reiterate that conducting exams was an unwise move. Moreover, the Maharashtra CM's son pointed out that top universities across the world had skipped exams. 

Writing on Twitter, Thackeray recalled that the MVA government had devised a fair formula for grading students. While highlighting that students would be passed on the aggregate of their performance in past semesters, he explained that those who wanted to better their grades could sit for the exams when they are held. He lamented that the HRD Ministry and the UGC were shifting focus from the effort of the Centre and state governments to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Read: Maharashtra FDA Chief Meets Covid Drug Producers To Ensure Availability As Cases Spike