India on Saturday reported 62,714 new cases of COVID-19. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)Coronavirus India Live Updates: The Health Ministry on Sunday said that more than 24 crore tests for coronavirus have been conducted across India. The cumulative Positivity Rate remained below 5 per cent, the Health Ministry added. Concerns for the state of Maharashtra increased as it recorded the highest positivity rate among all the states. Maharashtra recorded a 22.78 per cent positivity rate, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, official data stated that over 470 children below the age of 10 have been infected with Covid-19, since the beginning of this month in Bengaluru, as the city is witnessing a spike in infections. According to some experts, unlike in the past, children are now vulnerable because they are more exposed to outdoor activities, functions and gatherings, as also schools are reopening for a certain age group, which was not the case earlier due to lockdowns.
India reported 62,714 new cases of coronavirus infections on Saturday. This is the highest single day rise in India this year. In the total number of cases that India recorded on Saturday, Maharashtra alone reported 35,726 new cases. With 3,162 cases, Chhattisgarh reported more Coronavirus cases than Punjab. The active cases in India rise to more than 4.86 lakh. In India, 312 people succumbed to the virus on Saturday, it is the highest since December 25.
Maharashtra on Saturday reported 166 deaths due to COVID-19, it was the highest since October 2020. The state also reported 35,726 new cases of coronavirus. Amid the surge in cases, the Maharashtra government has banned all types of social gatherings in the state, including religious and political, effective from Mar 27 onwards. Malls, restaurants and gardens will remain shut in the state from 8 pm to 7 am, a government statement said. However, home delivery of food at night has been exempted.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan chaired a high-level meeting with state health secretaries, municipal commissioners, and district collectors of 46 districts, the most affected in terms of rising cases and rising mortality. In the meeting, the Centre highlighted that 90 per cent of the Covid-19 deaths continue to be in the category of those aged above 45 years.
Significantly, of the total 36 districts in Maharashtra, the most affected 25 account for 59.8 per cent of the total cases reported in the country in the past one week.
In the meeting, the Centre spelled out a multi-prong strategy on effective containment and contact tracing for at least 14 successive days for the 46 districts, which together account for 71 per cent of cases and 69 per cent of deaths this month.
It also focussed critically on the alarming rate of deaths being reported in Punjab and Maharashtra, sources said.
Top government sources, who were present in the meeting, told The Indian Express that a detailed discussion was specifically held with district magistrates of Pune, Aurangabad, Nagpur, and Yavatmal.
Coronavirus Lockdown India News Live Updates, Covid-19 Cases in Delhi, Maharashtra, Mumbai Today News: 62,714 new cases of coronavirus infections detected on Saturday. Maharashtra reported 35,726 of these cases. Active cases rise to more than 4.86 lakh. 312 d…
