Maharashtra reports 6,112 COVID-19 cases, 44 deaths on February 19

After showing a downward trend for months, coronavirus cases are once again surging in Maharashtra. According to official data released on Friday, the state recorded 6,112 positive cases in last the 24 hours. This has propelled the state’s COVID-19 tally to 20,87,632. The number of active cases in Maharashtra stands at 44,765.

44 deaths — 9 from Nagpur, 6 from Amravati, 5 from Mumbai, three each from Wardha and Satara, two each from Ulhasnagar, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon and Aurangabad and one each from Yavatmal, Akola, Latur, Osmanabad, Sangli, Ratnagiri, Solapur, Pune, Nashik and Raigad were reported on Friday. Out of the total deaths reported in the day, 19 occurred in the last 48 hours, 10 in the last week and the rest from the period before. Until now, a total of 51,713 persons in the state have died owing to COVID-19.

So far, 1,55,88,324 samples have been tested for the novel coronavirus in labs operational across the state. While 2,24,087 persons are under home quarantine, 1588 others have been admitted to institutional quarantine centres. The COVID-19 positivity rate, recovery rate and fatality rate in Maharashtra stand at 13.39%, 95.32% and 2.48% respectively.

Interestingly, another common mutation – widespread in Europe, US, Canada, Australia, China and Germany – has been found by BJ Medical College (Pune) in 11 of 12 samples randomly picked for genome sequencing in the state. The D614G mutation has a higher rate of transmission although its severity is low. This is now common in several parts of Maharashtra. Last year, genome sequencing of few reinfection cases in Mumbai too found this mutation.