Maharashtra records staggering 97 COVID-19 deaths, highest number of single-day deaths until now

Mumbai: Covid-19 deaths in the state came perilously close to 100 on Tuesday, with Maharashtra recording 97 fatalities, the highest number of single-day deaths until now. The state toll is currently 1,792. Earlier, on May 18, 76 corona deaths were recorded in a single day.

During Lockdown 3.0 (May 4 to May 17), the state had reported 650 Covid-19 deaths in just 13 days, 50 deaths per day on average, which has now increased to 66 deaths per day in the ongoing Lockdown 4.0. So far, 16,594 have recovered and been discharged.

Meanwhile, the number of new cases dropped to 2,091 on Tuesday, from the 2,436 reported on May 25, taking the toll to 54,758 cases until now. Thirty-nine of 97 deaths were recorded in Mumbai, followed by 15 in Thane, 10 in Kalyan-Dombivli, eight in Pune, seven in Solapur, five each in Aurangabad, Mira Bhayandar, three each in Malegaon, Ulhasnagar and one each in Nagpur city and Ratnagiri.

Thirty-five of the 97 deaths occurred in the last two days and the rest are from the period of April 17 to May 23, which was updated on Tuesday.

Nineteen of the 62 deaths in this period were recorded in Mumbai, 15 in Thane, 9 in Kalyan-Dombivli, 6 in Solapur, 5 in Mira-Bhayandar, 3 each in Ulhasnagar and Malegaon, 1 each in Pune and Aurangabad,” said Dr Pradip Awate, state surveillance officer. According to the public health department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the city reported 1,002 corona cases and 39 deaths on Tuesday, taking the total count to 32,974, with 1,065 deaths so far. 8,814 patients have recovered so far, with 410 being discharged in the last 24 hours.

Dr Avinash Supe, former dean of KEM Hospital and part of the Covid- 19 mortality task force, said the health of patients with uncontrolled comorbidities deteriorates rapidly. He said, “In patients below 50 years, we have found obesity, hypothyroidism along with diabetes and hypertension as the main problems. In many such patients, the underlying conditions were undiagnosed and only detected during treatment,” he informed, adding, the city’s mortality rate has dropped to 3.2 per cent.

Dr Daksha Shah, deputy executive health officer said “Until now, 3.90 lakh laboratory samples of which 1.74 lakhs are from Mumbai, have been tested. Meanwhile, 82% of 13,023 beds at DCH, DCHC and CCC2 are occupied, followed by 96 per cent of ICU beds, 66 per cent of ventilators and 63 per cent of oxygen beds in the city.”