2,940 cases take tally to 44,582; toll crosses 1,500

MUMBAI:Maharashtra and Mumbai recorded the highest singleday rise in Covid-19 cases on Friday, with their tally rising to 44,582 and 27,251 respectively. While the state reported 2,940 cases, there were 1,751 cases recorded in the city.

The state’s virus fatalities crossed 1,500, as 63 deaths were reported on Friday, taking the toll to 1,517.

Of the fatalities, 27 were in Mumbai, nine in Pune, eight in Jalgaon, five in Solapur, three each in Vasai-Virar and Aurangabad city, two in Satara, and one each in Malegaon, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar,

Panvel and Nagpur.

Meanwhile, data from the state Medical Education and Drugs department has revealed that 86.74% of the state’s 39,144 Covid-19 patients are below the age of 60. The department has analysed data till May 20.

Of these patients, 3.61% cases are of people up to 10 years; 7.05% are between 11 and 20 years; 21.08% are between 21 and 30 years; 21.44% are between 31 and 40 years, 17.76% are between 41 and 50 years; and 15.80% are between 51 and 60 years.

However, highlighting that people in the 50-plus age group are most vulnerable to the disease, the department put the number of fatalities in this age group at 71% of the 998 deaths.

State health department officials said measures to isolate and treat people, who are over the age of 60 with comorbidities, have helped keep them from contracting the disease.

“In Mumbai and in other hotspots, we have focused our search for people over 60 years as they are vulnerable. We have advised local authorities to isolate these people from densely populated areas,” a health department official, who did not want to be named, said.

Maharashtra has clocked more than 2,000 new infections every day for the past six days, recording 14,042 new cases and 382 deaths.