More on Covid-19

NEW DELHI: India’s Covid-19 count rose sharply on Thursday with states confirming 781 new cases – by far the highest single-day tally so far and 30% more than the previous highest of 598 recorded on Wednesday, as per confirmed reports collated by TOI from states.Maharashtra led the surge with 229 fresh cases —the first time any state has reported more than 150 new cases — followed by Tamil Nadu (96), Rajasthan (80), Gujarat (76) and Delhi (51).Thursday’s record high number of cases also broke the pattern of the last seven days, when daily cases had remained in the 500-600 zone.As many as 31 deaths from Covid-19 were reported from across the country, taking the pandemic’s toll in India to 232. These include 15 from Maharashtra, taking the state’s toll to 97, and three in Delhi – two at Ram Manohar Lohia and one at Apollo hospital.The fresh cases in Delhi include three cancer patients who were admitted to Delhi State Cancer Institute (DSCI) in east Delhi and two healthcare workers from Sir Ganga Ram hospital.At least 11 Covid-19 positive patients in Delhi are currently on ventilator support and 23 are on oxygen – which could signal impairment of lung function due to the infection.The Covid-19 outbreak in Maharashtra continues to be worrisome. The state now accounts for 20% of all cases in India and, more worryingly, over 40% of all coronavirus deaths. The state’s case fatality rate (CFR) rose from 6.2% on Wednesday to 7.1% on Thursday, more than double that of India’s 2.9%.Gujarat also recorded its biggest spike with 76 new cases in the last 24 hours. This is 29% of the total cases registered so far. Ahmedabad, a national Covid-19 hotspot, has so far reported 143 cases, more than half of Gujarat’s total.In Rajasthan, 80 fresh cases for Covid-19 were recorded, which is also the highest single day tally for the state. The total count of the infected persons with the virus has surged to 463. There were two deaths in the state that of a 76-year-old man died in Jodhpur and a 65-year-old woman from Ramganj in Jaipur.Madhya Pradesh witnessed two fresh Covid-19 deaths including that of a private medical practitioner taking the death toll in the state to 32. The doctor’s children, who live in Australia, watched the process of handover of his body on the phone.Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan condoled his death and tweeted: “People like him won’t be forgotten. He sacrificed his life in service of people and fighting Covid-19.”One Covid-19 death was also recorded in Telangana where a 54-year-old woman died and 18 others tested positive for the disease taking the states tally to 471 cases and 12 deaths. While the death toll rose to 12, authorities said they were slightly relieved that for the first time in one week, the state registered less than 20 cases.Kerala, which was the first state to report Covid-19 case in the country 100 days ago, has been able to maintain lower incidence of the disease in recent days. The state’s tally for Covid-19 currently stands at 357 and two deaths have been confirmed in the state among Covid-19 positive cases.Andhra Pradesh on Thursday recorded two more Covid-19 deaths and 15 positive cases, taking the overall tally of positive cases to 363. With two deaths reported on Thursday, the number of people, who died due to Covid-19, in the state has increased to six. Jharkhand reported its first Covid-19 death after a 75-year-old man died at Bokaro General Hospital (BGH) on Thursday morning, hours after his samples tested positive for coronavirus. The deceased had no travel history, officials said.Bihar recorded the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases in a single day with 12 fresh cases reported on Thursday, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 51.