A day after Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned of a shutdown, cases continued to rise and the state recorded 49,447 new Covid-19 infections and 277 related deaths in the past 24 hours. Maharashtra currently has 4.01,172 active cases. Of these, 9,090 cases were reported in Mumbai alone. The city has 62,187 active cases.
Thackeray, in an effort to increase medical infrastructure, also said his government is considering diverting all industrial-use oxygen supply to medical use, as daily oxygen demand in Maharashtra has touched 700 metric tons versus the capacity of state production of more than 1,200 metric tons. .
India recorded 89,129 new cases on Saturday, the highest since September last year. Corresponding to the rapid increase in cases, the number of active cases has also registered a steady increase for the 24th consecutive day. The Union Health Ministry reported that eight states – Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh – account for 81% of cases in the country.
Lockdown Warning in Maharashtra
Without actually declaring the closure, CM Uddhav Thackeray warned that the decision could have to be made two days after consultations with experts and political leaders.
“I am warning about the total closure, but I am not announcing it. I will speak with experts and political leaders in the next two days. If there is no other option for the lockdown, we will have to accept it, ”Thackeray had said. He added: “Some strict restrictions will have to be imposed in the coming days. In cities, we must avoid unnecessary crowds. In Mumbai, there is crowding during peak and off-peak hours on trains. There are crowds in restaurants and also in other places. “
The crowds have returned to the stations in Mumbai. The city registered 9,090 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday. (PTI)
Speaking about the availability of beds throughout the state, the Chief Minister said: “This situation is very worrying. If the situation remains the same, there will be a shortage of health infrastructure in the next 15 to 20 days. I have given orders to update the health infrastructure where necessary. We will be able to increase the number of beds, fans and others ”. However, he asked: “How can we increase the number of doctors, nurses and health workers?”
Meanwhile, to ensure that Maharashtra continues its rapid pace of Covid-19 vaccination with up to 70,27,500 beneficiaries receiving the jab to date, the state’s Health Secretary, Dr. Pradeep Vyas, told The Indian Express that they will be awarded. special permits to those who are going to take the coups so that they are not affected by the restrictions and the curfew imposed in Pune.
Maharashtra is the largest contributor to the number of Covid-19 cases in the country. (File photo)
Health officials said the state has an adequate stock of 30 lakh vaccine doses and every effort is being made to encourage local residents over the age of 45 to go out in large quantities and get vaccinated.
Virus shadow over IPL
With just one week left for the Indian Premier League (IPL), the threat of coronavirus looms over the mega tournament. Axar Patel of Delhi Capitals, 10 members of the ground staff at Wankhede Stadium and six event managers, deployed by BCCI, have joined the growing list of positive cases in the IPL, as of April 9.
Axar Patel in action for Delhi Capitals last season in the United Arab Emirates. (Proceedings)
The tournament also comes at a time when Maharashtra has been recording more than 40,000 cases a day and is facing a lockdown, as noted by CM Uddhav Thackeray.
Here are Covid-related updates from other parts of the country:
Himachal closes schools and universities until April 15, Odisha imposes night curfew
States have stepped up measures to break the chain of Covid transmission. As such, the Odisha government imposed a night curfew in 10 districts on Saturday: Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Nawrangpur, Koraput and Malkangiri, from 10 pm to 5 am in the wake of the increase in cases across the country. Express. The state’s Covid-19 count rose to 3,42,224 on Saturday, as 452 more people tested positive for the infection.
The Himachal Pradesh government also ordered all educational institutions in the state to be closed until April 15.
Former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah Hospitalized
Veteran politician and president of the National Conference, Farooq Abdullah, who tested positive for Covid-19 recently, was admitted to a hospital on Saturday as a precautionary measure. On Twitter, his son Omar Abdullah said that Farooq Abdullah has been admitted to Srinagar hospital on the advice of doctors “so they can better monitor him.”
“Our family continues to thank everyone for their messages of support and prayers,” he added. The 85-year-old North Carolina president tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday.
(With PTI inputs)
.
