Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally surges to 6.28 lakh; fatality rate remains constant at 3.35%

On Wednesday, August 19, Maharashtra recorded 13,165 novel coronavirus cases, propelling the state's COVID-19 tally to 6,28,642. At present, there are 1,60,413 active cases in the state. With 9,011 COVID-19 patients discharged in the day, the number of recovered soared to 4,46,881.

346 deaths- 59 from Pune, 46 from Mumbai, 27 from Pimpri Chinchwad, 26 from Nagpur, 18 from Sangli, 15 each from Kolhapur and Solapur, 14 from Thane, 13 from Ahmednagar, 12 from Kalyan-Dombivali, 10 from Yavatmal, 9 each from Satara and Jalgaon, 8 each from Navi Mumbai and Palghar, 6 each from Vasai-Virar and Osmanabad, 5 from Nashik, 4 each from Raigad and Bhandara, three each from Latur, Parbhani, Dhule, Mira Bhayandar and Ulhasnagar, two each from Bhiwandi, Sindhudurg, Beed and Akola and one each from Gondia, Wardha, Hingoli, Aurangabad and Malegaon were reported on Wednesday. 

Until now, a total of 21,033 persons have died owing to COVID-19. So far, a total of 33,37,848 samples have been tested for the novel coronavirus in various laboratories across the state. While 11,62,450 persons are under home quarantine, 37,094 others have been admitted to institutional quarantine centres. The COVID-19 positivity rate, recovery rate and fatality rate in Maharashtra stands at 18.83%, 71.09%, and 3.35% respectively. 

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Inter-district bus services to resume in Maharashtra

Ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi, the Maharashtra government allowed the resumption of inter-district bus services operated by Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation earlier in the day. A large number of people travel to Konkan from other districts during the Ganesh Chaturthi via bus. However, the government has specified that private buses shall not be allowed to ply. Most importantly, passengers travelling on the MSRTC buses shall not require any permission or e-Pass.

The MSRTC will issue the Standard Operating Procedure for the operation of these buses. All social distancing norms and measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 shall be followed. With a fleet of over 18,000 buses and nearly one lakh workforce, MSRTC will recommence its operations for the first time since the commencement of the nationwide lockdown. Approximately, over 65 lakh passengers would travel daily in MSRTC buses before the lockdown.

Read: Diet, Nutrition Play Key Role In Preventing Deaths Due To Diseases Including COVID: Harsh Vardhan