Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackery with Devendra Fadnavis. (File)Maharashtra reports 17,066 new cases of the novel coronavirus infection, taking the total number of cases in the state to 10,77,374. 15,789 people have been discharged and 257 deaths have been reported in the day. At least 7,55,850 recoveries have been registered and there are 2,91,256 active cases
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Meanwhile, the state government on Monday ordered treating vehicles carrying oxygen on par with ambulances to facilitate smooth and timely supply of the gas in hospitals for treatment of COVID-19 patients. A notification issued by the government in this regard said such vehicles will be treated as ambulances only for carrying oxygen for a period of one year.
“The Government of Maharashtra hereby declares that vehicles permitted for carrying oxygen for medical purposes shall be treated on par with the ambulance for carrying only oxygen, for a period of one year during such disaster and thereby treating such vehicles as the vehicle on emergency and disaster management duties,” the notification said.
Maharashtra now has 2,79,768 active cases.
The COVID-19 count in Aurangabad in Maharashtra reached 28,802 after 427 new cases were detected in Monday, while the death toll so far is 815, an official said. The district has seen 22,211 people getting discharged so far, leaving it with 5,776 active cases. Meanwhile, amid a rise in cases, district collector Sunil Chavan said 1,808 additional beds will be made available for patients by the end of this month. A district administration release said currently 12,664 isolation beds are available in 108 facilities. Apart from these, there are 1,491 oxygen beds, 488 ICU beds and 230 ventilators in the district, it said. (PTI)
Nagpur reported 1,002 COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking its infection caseload to 53,473, while 44 deaths took the toll to 1,702, an official said. A total of 40,667 people have been discharged so far, including 1,518 on Monday, leaving the district with 11,104 active cases, he added.
Maharashtra reports 17,066 new cases of the novel coronavirus infection, taking the total number of cases in the state to 10,77,374. 15,789 people have been discharged and 257 deaths have been reported in the day. At least 7,55,850 recoveries have been registered and there are 2,91,256 active cases: Public Health Department, Maharashtra
The Maharashtra government on Monday ordered treating vehicles carrying oxygen on par with ambulances to facilitate smooth and timely supply of the gas in hospitals for treatment of COVID-19 patients. A notification issued by the government in this regard said such vehicles will be treated as ambulances only for carrying oxygen for a period of one year. The Government of Maharashtra hereby declares that vehicles permitted for carrying oxygen for medical purposes shall be treated on par with the ambulance for carrying only oxygen, for a period of one year during such disaster and thereby treating such vehicles as the vehicle on emergency and disaster management duties, the notification said. (PTI)
311 police personnel of Maharashtra Police tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection in the last 24 hours, and 5 died, taking the total number of infections in the force to 19,385 including 3,670 active cases, 15,521 recovered cases and 194 deaths: Maharasthra Police
The police will take strict action in the Mira Road quarantine centre rape case and no incident of atrocities against women will be tolerated in Maharashtra, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Monday. Deshmukh made the comment in a tweet after state Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe called for action in the incident. "@Thane_R_Police look into the matter immediately. @neelamgorhe ji, the police will soon take strict action. Nowhere in the state atrocities against women will be tolerated," the minister tweeted. (PTI)
Tourism industry representatives want reopening of the Ajanta and Ellora caves, arguing that if the Taj Mahal is reopening for public amid the COVID-19 pandemic, why not the two world famous heritage sites located near here in Maharashtra.'When the Archaeological Survey of India's Agra circle has decided to reopen the Taj Mahal, why Ajanta and Ellora can't be opened?' Aurangabad Tourism Development Foundation's (ATDF) civil aviation committee chairman Sunit Kothari asked during the discussion.
Digital promotion of tourist spots is also needed to resume tourism activities during the pandemic, they said during a panel discussion on 'Aurangabad Tourism: Changed World and Challenges on Sunday.
Taj Mahal is set to reopen on September 21, over six months after it was shut. (PTI)
The number of COVID-19 cases in Thane has gone up to 1,46,102 after detection of 1,930 new cases in the Maharashtra district, officials said on Monday. Besides, the number of COVID-19 deaths in the district has risen to 3,921 as 28 more people succumbed to the disease on Sunday.
Thane currently has 17,784 active COVID-19 cases in the district while 1,24,397 patients have recovered.The COVID-19 recovery rate in the district is 85.14 per cent, while the mortality rate stands at 2.68 per cent.
Out of the total cases, Kalyan town has so far reported more than 35,000 cases, while there have been over 30,000 cases each in Thane city and Navi Mumbai.(With PTI)
The coronavirus tally in India crossed the 48 lakh-mark Monday with 92,071 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. As many as 1,136 deaths were reported on Sunday, taking the toll to 79,722. Of the 48,46,427 infections, 9,86,598 are active cases, while 37,80,107 patients have been discharged.
The number of COVID-19 deaths in the Mumbai Police force reached 75 on Sunday with a 53-year- old inspector succumbing to the infection. The inspector attached to Vakola police station, was hospiafter a minor road accident and was recovering at his home, the official said.
"Around 5.30 am, the inspector suddenly collapsed inside his bathroom and became unconscious. He was rushed to hospital, where he was declared dead," the official added. His samples returned positive for the COVID-19 infection, he said. (PTI)
Leader of opposition Devenfra Fadnavis Sunday advised Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to stop fighting against the “opposition” or the actress Kangana Ranaut and instead focus on curbing the coronavirus pandemic which shows no signs of abating in the country’s worst affected state. "Today in Maharashtra there are more than 10 lakh #COVID19 patients & our state account for 40% total deaths in the country.... Firstly, our Chief Minister should fight against coronavirus rather than opposition or Kangana" he said.
Former Maharashtra minister Arjun Khotkar on Sunday said he has tested positive for COVID-19 through his Twitter. He said he would undergo treatment in Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. Khotkar, a Shiv Sena leader, was a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government. (PTI)
Nagpur registered its highest single-day spike of 2,343 new coronavirus positive cases on Sunday, the authorities said. This took the district's overall tally to 52,471, the district information office said in a statement. The number of patients who died due to the infection on Sunday was 45. This pushed the death toll in the district to 1,658, it said. (PTI)
Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally rose to 1,060,308 on Sunday after 22,543 fresh cases, PTI reported. The state's toll spiked to 29,531 with 416 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the official said. So far, 7,40,061 persons have been discharged, while there are 290,344 cases in the state, he said. The number of tests so far is 5253676, he added.
A tempo carrying seven oxygen cylinders meant for hospitals was stolen in Pune's Chakan area, PTI reported. The complainant has a business of transporting such cylinders and he had parked his tempo outside his house on Thursday night from where it went missing a few hours later, Inspector Balaji Sontake of Mhalunge post said. "We have registered a theft case and efforts are on to trace the tempo and nab the accused who stole it," said the official.
On the farm distress, he said: "We have helped the people of Kolhapur and Sangli in the flood regions. We are with the farmers. Farmers cannot work from home. We have started a new scheme for farmers. The farmer is working in the dark, he doesn't know if the weather will support him. He has to put his oxen, his wife's jewels and other things in the market; he takes loan after loan."
The CM said: "A special one-time grant (Khauti Yojana) has been restarted for tribal families, farmer loans have been waived off. At least 6.50 lakh tribal kids have been given milk powder. We have tried to break the chain and increase the health facilities. We have increased the number of beds, at least 3.6 lakh beds have been added," he said. "We have been able to start online education at some places. We have done everything possible as a government, he added.
"We have given permission to hotels and lodges (to reopen). Don't sit across each other while eating together. Keep small portions of food. Keep sanitising public areas. Keep the lid down and flush your western toilets. We need to do this campaign. Everyone should think what they can do, like the way how every small thing helped to build the Ram Setu. This fight needs to go to the public. I haven't opened everything to avoid a second lockdown. I see people being negligent even in Mumbai. People meet and then when they start speaking to each other, they take off the mask. In some countries everything is opened but they take action if there is no mask, if there is crowding. Do we need such steps, can't we take care ourselves?" the chief minister said.
While continuing his address, Thackeray said: "The health survey of all 12 crore Maharashtrians may be inconvenient but not impossible. I need the help of all public representatives to take responsibility of this for their wards. Door-to-door survey should be done to ask if someone is above 50, do they have any co-morbidities and what is their oxygen level. Before the virus reaches, we should reach their homes, this is 'My family My Responsibility'." He added: "There are people who say the chief minister doesn't step out. i reach out to places even if they dont, how, through video conferencing. Where needed, I do travel."
"I will speak about coronavirus because there is a fear in the world that things may worsen. I want to place some of the caution and responsibility this time on you also. Some of it will be taken up by the government. We are starting a campaign from September 15. I would request all of you to take part, irrespective of your religion and political affiliation. It is called 'My Family, My Responsibility'. In Judo Karate, people learn self defense and get a black belt. Your mask is your self defence black belt. The vaccine companies have paused trials, still we hope ti get one by December or January. Please wear your mask. Dont move out unless necessary. Wear a mask always when out. Keep washing hands. Keep doing this."
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray today addressed the media on the pandemic. He said: "We have been going through a difficult situation. I thank all the people of Maharashtra. This is the time of monsoon, agriculture, festivals and asking people to avoid crowds and festivities is difficult. I have to thank all religions for taking social responsibility. We have also been working on Mission Begin Again to take our life back on track. We are increasing attendance in offices, industries and have restarted inter-district travel. Mission Begin Again, festivals and monsoon all coincided and what I had feared is happening. Coronavirus has not gone down, the numbers are rising. It is increasing in rural areas." He added: "There is a conspiracy to defame the state even as the government is effectively tackling the pandemic."
A 27-year-old attendant at a coronavirus quarantine centre in Thane district was arrested for allegedly raping a woman at the facility, PTI reported. The incident took place in June, but came to light on Saturday when the 20-year-old woman lodged a police complaint, inspector Sampat Patil of Navghar police station said. The woman in her complaint alleged that the accused committed the crime while she was attending to an 11-year-old relative who was lodged at the quarantine centre, located in Mira Road area here, the official said.
Amidst a surge in coronavirus cases across the country, the Union Health Ministry Sunday issued a new ‘Post Covid-19 Management Protocol’ for patients who have recovered from the deadly infection. The ministry’s recommendations include daily practice of yoga, morning or evening walks and a tea spoon of chyawanprash with warm water or milk. Apart from the medication recommended by allopathic doctors, the Health Ministry also encouraged the use of a number of herbal remedies, such as ‘Ayush Kwath’, ‘Samshamani vati’, ‘mulethi powder’ and warm milk with haldi. Sharing the extensive list of suggestions, the Health Ministry tweeted, “A holistic approach is required for follow up care and wellbeing of all post-Covid recovering patients.” Click here to read more.
The oxygen produced in Pune is enough to meet the district’s daily demand, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Saturday. “As of now, there is no shortage of medical oxygen for hospitals in Pune district. We are also catering to oxygen demand from hospitals in neighbouring districts, in western Maharashtra and Marathwada,” S V Pratapwar, assistant commissioner of FDA, told The Indian Express on Saturday. An average of 350 metric tonne of oxygen for refilling cylinders, and 229 metric tonne liquid oxygen to fill tanks in big hospitals, is produced every day, said an FDA official. Confirming that there is no shortage of medical oxygen for hospitals in Pune, District Civil Surgeon Dr Ashok Nandapurkar said, “Every day, hospitals in Pune collectively require 313 metric tonne of oxygen while an average of 350 metric tonne of oxygen is produced… there is a slight surplus.”
Maharashtra has two main suppliers, Inox Air Products and Linde India, which together produce 800 metric ton liquid oxygen every day. Inox has four plants in Raigad, Pune and Nagpur. Linde has two plants in Raigad and Thane. Transportation of supplies to Marathwada and North Maharashtra takes a day straining hospitals in these regions. Units in Maharashtra have a total capacity to produce 1,210 metric tonne oxygen every day of which 40 per cent was diverted to industrial use while 60 per cent was diverted for medical purposes. However, in view of the shortage the Maharashtra government had asked suppliers to ensure that 80 per cent of supplies were directed towards hospitals. A senior official from Inox said their pre-Covid oxygen demand stood at 100 metric tonne a day. It has risen threefold to 350-370 metric ton now. “Our plant does not have capacity beyond 400 metric tonne, and it is not possible to expand. That can take months. If cases continue to rise, we will not be able to satisfy all hospitals’ requirements,” the official said. Linde can produce up to 300-400 metric tonne liquid oxygen per day.
As a sudden shortage of medical oxygen hits several states due to a spike in Covid-19 patients, several Maharashtra districts are now in the process of installing their own oxygen generation plants to cut dependence on suppliers. District collectors are working to set up their own oxygen plants in Osmanabad, Beed, Nandurbar and Pimpri Oxygen shortageChinchwad. More districts are set to issue tender for oxygen plants. Dr Archana Patil, additional director in the public health department, said 14 districts have already installed an oxygen plant, 16 others are in process of setting up. “We have also created a district-level committee of FDA, health and transport to look into oxygen demand and smoothen supply. This committee will resolve any shortage issue hospitals are facing,” Patil said.
Meanwhile, India's overall Covid tally sprinted past 47 lakh with 94,372 new infections being reported in a day, while 37,02,595 people have recuperated taking the national recovery rate to 77.88 per cent on Sunday, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
Maharashtra on Saturday added 22,084 fresh cases, taking the overall tally to 10,37,765, the state health department announced. With 391 more patients succumbing to the infection, the cumulative toll crossed the 29,000 mark and reached 29,115, it added. Follow this space for all the latest updates.