Hyderabad: Registering a noticeable surge in Covid cases, Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 711 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours. According to a notice issued by the Public Health Department of Maharashtra, the state reported 4 deaths, though the recovery rate was stated at 98.13%.
Against the backdrop of this spike, Maharashtra Health Minister Tanaji Sawant declared that the state will conduct a mock drill on April 13 and 14. "As suggested by the central government, we are going to hold a mock drill for our Covid preparedness in the state on 13-14th April. However, the health minister asked people not to panic but remain vigilant and take precautions," the minister said.
Delhi meanwhile recorded 521 fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday, the highest single-day rise since August 27 last year, and a fatality, according to data shared by the city health department. The health bulletin also mentioned that the primary cause of the death was not coronavirus and its finding was incidental.
Delhi has witnessed an increase in the number of fresh Covid cases over the last few days amid a sharp rise in the figure of H3N2 influenza cases in the country. The Delhi government is keeping an eye on the spurt in Covid cases in the national capital and is "prepared to face any eventuality", Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said on Friday.
India overall logged 3,038 new coronavirus cases, while the active cases increased to 21,179, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The past week has seen similar trends in the cases hike, which is the first time this year that the number crossed the 3,000 mark. The last it was recorded at around 3,000 was in October 2022.
The total death toll so far has reached 5,30,901, with nine deaths reported on Tuesday all across the country. While two deaths each were reported from Delhi and Punjab, one each was reported by Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand in a span of 24 hours and two reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases now comprise 0.05 per cent of the total infections and the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.76 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,77,204, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje tested positive on Tuesday for coronavirus. Gehlot, while informing the public that the number of COVID cases has increased in the past few days, said he too has tested positive for it.
