A day after Maharashtra reported over 4,000 COVID-19 cases, highest single-day tally in more than a month, the daily count on Monday fell but remained above the 3,000-mark for the sixth straight day as the state government warned of “harsh decisions” after the recent spike.On Monday, the number of daily cases dipped to 3,365 in Maharashtra, where 4,092 infections, the highest single-day rise since the first week of January, were reported on Sunday.
Also, 23 more patients succumbed to the infection, while over 3,100 people recovered from the infection.
The state has registered 20,67,643 positive cases till now, an official statement said.Maharashtra reported 2,216 new cases on February 8 and 2,515 a day later.
On February 10, the number of daily cases surged to 3,451 and the single-day rise has been above the 3,000-mark since then.Apart from Mumbai, Nagpur and Amravati cities in the Vidarbha region reported over 400 new COVID-19 patients in a day on Monday.
Describing as “alarming” the recent rise in fresh COVID-19 cases in some districts of Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday warned of taking some “harsh decisions” and asked people to be prepared.
Speaking to reporters in Aurangabad, Pawar expressed displeasure over people not following the pandemic-appropriate behaviour and violating guidelines.
“Harsh decisions can be taken and people should remain prepared. If certain decisions are not taken in time then we will have to pay a heavy cost later,” he added.
Notably, a central team which visited parts of Maharashtra earlier this month, had in a meeting with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on February 8 noted that rural areas of Vidarbha -- particularly in Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal and Bhandara districts -- reported higher positivity rate.
On the other hand, the number of patients discharged from hospitals across the state on Monday stood at 3,105, that is, more than double of those who headed for homes post recovery a day earlier.
A total of 1,355 patients were discharged on Sunday.
The number of recovered persons in the state stood at 19,78,708, the government said.
The number of active cases in the state increased slightly to 36,201 on Monday from 35,965 a day earlier.