COVID: Maharashtra deaths cross 54K as state enters the semi-lockdown mode

MUMBAI: The number of COVID-19 deaths in Maharashtra crossed the 54,000-mark as the state again retreated into stringent semi-lockdown style restrictions from Saturday night, health officials said here on Saturday.

The state recorded 166 new deaths, pushing up the total number of fatalities to 54,073, just 10 days after zooming past the 53,000-mark on March 17.

The state also added another 35,726 new cases - down from the highest ever tally of 36,902 recorded on March 26, taking the overall caseload to 26,73,461, the highest in the country.

Simultaneously, the state's recovery rate dropped from 87.02 per cent to 86.58 per cent, while the death rate stood at 2.02 per cent, compared to 2.04 per cent recorded a day earlier. The number of active cases in Maharashtra presently stands at 3,03,475.

The situation has worsened faster than state Health Secretary Pradeep Vyas' prediction 12 days ago, that the state could have more than 3 lakh active cases by April first week.

Of the 166 deaths reported on Saturday, Akola and Nagpur led with 20 fatalities each, followed by Nandurbar (15), Pune (14), Mumbai and Thane (12 each), Nashik (10), Raigad (8), Parbhani (7), Amravati (6), Solapur, Aurangabad and Wardha (5 each), Jalgaon (4), Latur, Osmanabad, Beed and Buldhana (3 each), Nanded and Gadchiroli (2 each), and Palghar, Kolhapur, Sangli, Ratnagiri, Washim, Gondiya and Chandrapur (1 each). Mumbai Circle set a new record of fresh infections - 10,638, - taking up the total to 847,827, besides reporting 20,193 deaths till now. (IANS)

Also watch: ASSAM Votes 2021: Congress candidate Rana Goswami Casts Vote

Also Read: Covovax trials begin in India, expected to be launched by September, informs Adar Ponawalla