Maharashtra notched an all-time dubious record in terms of Covid 19-triggered daily fatalities on Saturday, as an astounding 322 people succumbed to the pandemic on a single day taking the total death tally in the state to 15,316, while 9,601 people tested positive in various parts of the state.
Surpassing the earlier highest-ever 298 deaths witnessed on July 29, the Covid-19 claimed 322 lives, contributing to the increase in the total death tally in the state from 14,994 on Friday to 15,316 on Saturday.
With fresh 9601 infections, the total number of positive cases in the state mounted to 431,719.
Of the total 322 deaths reported on Saturday, Pune accounted for 76 deaths, while Mumbai and Thane recorded 45 and 41 deaths. Like in the recent days, more deaths were reported from outside the country’s commercial capital.
The deaths in Mumbai fell below 50-mark for the second time in a week. With 45 new deaths, the pandemic toll in the city rose from 6,353 to 6,398, while the number of infected cases grew by 1,047 to touch 115,331.
Apart from 76 deaths in Pune, 45 deaths in Mumbai and 41 deaths in thane, there were 28 deaths in Raigad, 20 in Jalgaon, 17 in Aurangabad, 14 in Palghar, 13 in Nashik, 8 each in Kolhapur and Sangli, 7 in Solapur, 6 each in Ahmednagar, Satara, Latur and Osmanabad, 3 in Amravati, 2 each in Dhule, Ratnagiri, Beed, Nanded, Buldhana and Nagpur and one each in Nandurbar, Jalna, Hingoli, Akola, Washim. In addition, one person from another state died in Maharashtra.
In a related development, as many as 10,725 patients were discharged from hospitals in the state after full recovery, taking the total number of patients discharged from various hospitals after full recovery since the second week of March this year to 2,66,883.
The recovery rate rose to 61.82 per cent. The mortality rate in the state is 3.55 per cent. The state health authorities pegged the number of “active cases” in the state at 1,49,214.
With 84564 infected cases and 2,626 deaths, Thane continued to be the second worst hit district in Maharashtra.
Pune, which has emerged as the third worst affected district in terms of spread of the pandemic, has recorded 91930 infections and 2175 deaths till now.
Out of 21,94,943 samples sent to laboratories, 4,31,719 have tested positive (19.66 per cent) for Covid-19 until Saturday.
Currently, 9,08099 people are in home quarantine while 38,947 people are in institutional quarantine.