Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in Maharashtra, now 44 policemen test positive in Nashik

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Nashik: At least 44 policemen attached with the Nashik police commissioner’s office have now been found positive with coronavirus. According to reports, among those who have been found COVID positive, seven are high-ranking police officers while the remaining are clerical staff.

In view of rising infections in the city policemen, the Nashik Police is mulling to start a COVID centre for awareness and counselling of the policemen.

Besides the city police, several employees of the agriculture and revenue departments have also been found COVID positive. Nashik, which is one of the most-affected districts of Maharashtra, has seen 2,644 COVID-19 cases, 15 deaths, 2,393 recoveries on Tuesday.

According to the state health officials, Nashik's COVID-19 tally rose by 2,644 on Tuesday to touch 1,53,561, the seventh consecutive day when the case addition was above 2,000.

The day also saw 15 deaths and 2,393 people getting discharged, leaving the district with a toll of 2,247 and recovery count of 1,34,091.

With 10,923 samples being examined on Monday, the number of tests in Nashik went up to 6,45,255. Maharashtra`s Covid-19 fatalities also crossed the 3-digit mark, for the first time since December 4, while over 28,000 new cases were recorded on Tuesday, amid the "second wave" of the deadly virus.

The state registered 132 deaths, after 127 on December 4, taking its toll to 53,589. A day after crossing the 25 lakh cumulative tally of infections, the state`s new infections rose from 24,645 on Monday to 28,699.

Mumbai remained in the 3,000-plus range for the second consecutive day, recording 3,514 new cases, taking its tally to 369,451, and 11,604 deaths. 

The state recovery rate dropped from 89.22 per cent to 88.73 per cent, while the death rate stood at 2.12 per cent, and the number of active cases jumped up to 230,641.

Pune led with 19 new fatalities, while there were 13 deaths each in Nashik and Nagpur, nine each in Thane and Nanded, eight in Mumbai, seven in Amravati, six in Yavatmal, five in Palghar, four each in Raigad, Nandurbar, Solapur, Beed, Wardha, and Chandrapur, three each in Ahmednagar, Sangli, Parbhani, and Akola, two each in Aurangabad, and Latur, and one each in Dhule, Satara, and Osmanabad.

Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home isolation shot above the million mark to 11,77,265 while those shunted to institutional quarantine increased to 11,887 on Tuesday.