For the second time in May, Maharashtra recorded 2,940 cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the second-highest single-day jump, pushing its tally to 65,168. The State also recorded 99 deaths, taking its toll to 2,197. The State had recorded 2,940 cases on May 22 as well.
State health officials said 40 of the 99 deaths were reported in the past two days, while the rest were reported from May 6 to 27. The highest number of deaths, 54, were recorded in Mumbai; seven each in Vasai-Virar and Panvel; six each in Thane, Pune and Solapur; three each in Raigad and Jalgaon; two each in Navi Mumbai and Kalyan Dombivli region; and one in Nagpur.
Two other deaths were of residents of Rajasthan and Bihar who succumbed in Panvel and Mumbai, respectively. According to officials, nearly 67% of the deceased had co-morbid conditions like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and heart disease. The mortality rate in the State stands at 3.3%.
On Saturday, 1,084 patients were discharged, taking the total number of recovered patients to 28,081.
Shortage of ICU beds
According to data provided by the State, only 8,501 intensive care unit (ICU) beds are available though the requirement is much higher.
Medical experts say 3% to 5% of infected patients require intensive care. A patient in ICU also takes more than seven days to recover. “In hotspots like Mumbai, from where maximum cases are being reported, there is an acute shortage of ICU beds because of the patient load,” said health activist Dr. Abhijit More of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan.
The State has carried out over 4.47 lakh tests in its 43 government-run and 34 private laboratories. This comes to 3,349 tests per 10 lakh population as compared to the national average of 2,523 tests per 10 lakh population. Nearly 5.51 lakh people are under home quarantine, and 35,420 are under institutional quarantine.
Spitting in public places has been made a punishable offence. Health Minister Rajesh Tope appealed to people to follow this rule and help prevent outbreaks of COVID-19 and other diseases.
