1,000+ new cases for 1st time in 3 months

STATE RECORDS highest one-day 8,807 total of infections this year

The number of Covid-19 cases reported within a 24-hour period in the city crossed the 1,000-mark, almost three months after the previous such occurrence, with 1,167 new cases and four deaths being reported on Wednesday, taking the total count to 3,21,698, with 11,453 fatalities till now. Mumbai had last reported 1,000-plus cases last year, on November 28.

Maharashtra has also reported the highest single-day cases for this year. On Monday, there were 8,807 new cases and 80 deaths, pushing the statewide count to 21,21,119, with 51,937 fatalities.

Officials have attributed this surge to several factors - aggressive testing, public laxity in adhering to Covid norms and the increasing movement of people.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said, for the second time, more than 20,000 tests were carried out in the city, resulting in the surge. Moreover, citizens are not following Covid norms, which is another factor for the rise in cases. “We have conducted 21,124 Covid tests, as compared to 17,499 on the day before. In the state too, 80,861 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, following which there has been a rise in cases both in the state and city,” he said.