Maharashtra report over 46,000 covid cases, expect strict restrictions

Maharashtra on Thursday reported no cases of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19, the state government said in an official statement on Thursday. The maharashtra reported 46,406 new Covid cases and 36 deaths. The fatality rate in the Maharashtra was reported at 2%, data suggested further.

To date, a total of 1367 patients were infected with the Omicron variant in the state, according to government data.  Maharashtra capital Mumbai reported 13,702 fresh Covid-19 cases on Thursday and 6 deaths, according to an official statement by the city’s municipal corporation.

The active cases tally in the financial capital was recorded at 95,123. The death toll has risen to 16,426 in Mumbai, the statement further said. Authorities on Thursday also said that as many as 265 Maharashtra police personnel have succumbed to the infection so far.

According to the Maharashtra Police, there are 2,145 active cases of COVID-19 in the state police. The state on Wednesday recorded 46,723 fresh coronavirus cases, a jump of 12,299 infections from a day ago, and 32 fresh fatalities. The new cases included 86 Omicron infections.

Amid a surge in coronavirus infections across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday emphasised the need for local containment to arrest the spread of Covid-19 during a review meeting with the chief ministers of all states and Union territories.

“While making any strategy, it is very important to keep in mind that there should be minimal damage to the livelihood of the common people, economic activities, the momentum of the economy should be maintained,” said the PM.

“So, it would be better to focus more on local containment,” he added. Further, speaking about the new Omicron Covid-19 variant, he said that the initial skepticism about Omicron slowly getting cleared. “The new strain Omicron is infecting people several times faster than previous ones,” said PM Modi.

In view of this, Modi said we need to be alert and careful, but also have to ensure that there is no panic situation. “We have to see that in this festive season, the alertness of the people and the administration does not fall short,” he said. First case was on 2 December and, as of this morning, nearly 5,000 have been confirmed. Experts, though, warn the number could be far higher given the slow pace of genome sequencing.

Fresh curbs have been imposed in various parts of the country to check the spread of the highly transmissible virus. Prior to this, PM Modi in a high-level meeting on Sunday directed intensive containment and active surveillance in clusters reporting higher Covid cases due to Omicron.

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He had then stressed the need to ensure adequate health infrastructure at the district level. He asked officials to maintain coordination regarding this with the states.