Covid-19: India cases cross 26,000 with another big spike in Maharashtra

NEW DELHI: India crossed the grim milestone of 25,000 Covid-19 cases — ending the day above 26,000 — as Maharashtra registered another record rise in patients. A staggering 811 new cases were added to the state’s tally on Saturday, 602 of these in Mumbai alone.

Maharashtra accounted for nearly half of Saturday’s national Covid-19 count, which at 1,715 was the second-highest recorded for a single day so far, 30 short of 1,755 reported on Thursday. India’s total number of Covid-19 cases stood at 26,270, as per latest figures collated from state governments, placing it at 16th spot among countries with the highest coronavirus counts.

India also crossed the 800-mark in coronavirus deaths, with 43 reported on Saturday, taking the total number to 821. Maharashtra led in the death figures too. It recorded maximum 22 fresh fatalities (13 of these from Mumbai), followed by six deaths each in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, three in Rajasthan and two in Andhra Pradesh. Delhi recorded one death, along with Tamil Nadu, UP and J&K.

Gujarat, where 256 new infections were reported, became the second Indian state to cross 3,000 cases. Ahmedabad, which accounts for 65% of total cases in the state, also crossed the 2,000-mark in number of cases. Gujarat's death toll is now 133, the second highest after Maharashtra.

Delhi recorded 111 new Covid-19 cases, a slight dip from Friday’s 138 cases, taking its tally to 2,514. With one more death, the toll in Delhi has risen to 53. At least 38 Covid-19 patients in the capital in ICU or on ventilator support, sources said.

Uttar Pradesh registered Saturday’s third-highest number of new cases at 122, which included 13 cops. With this, UP’s tally has touched 1,796 and it has confirmed 15 deaths.

With 602 more cases during the day, Mumbai further strengthened its position as the coronavirus capital of India. The Maximum City has so far recorded 5,049 cases, nearly double that of second-placed Delhi (2,625). Maharashtra’s Covid tally crossed 7,000 mark to 7,628 cases, almost equal to the combined tally of the next three states — Gujarat, Delhi and Rajasthan.

Covid-19 cases in Bengal are also on the rise. The state, which has been mired in controversy over the visit by a central team to monitor the Covid-19 situation, recorded 57 new cases taking its tally to 571. Fifteen people have died due to the disease in the state, as per official figures.

Madhya Pradesh, which had witnessed an explosion of cases last week, showed another dramatic drop in cases, with just 31 new ones on Saturday.

Telangana’s Covid-19 graph too took a big dip on Saturday, in a marked shift from the last week’s fury. Only seven new positive cases were reported. With this, the total number of cases in the state reached 990, inching towards the 1,000 mark. The death tally remained at 25.

Andhra Pradesh recorded its first Covid-19 cases on March 12. On Saturday, 40 days after the first case was reported, the state’s Covid-19 tally breached the 1,000-mark with 61 new positive cases. Two more deaths were also reported taking the Covid-19 toll to 31.

Bihar reported 28 new cases, taking the total number to 251 in the state, out of which 45 people have recovered and two have died so far. The number of Covid-19 positive persons rose to 99 in Odisha with five more persons testing positive for the virus.