Maharashtra Covid-19 Update: 1,086 New Cases, One Death In 24 Hours; Active Tally 5,700

Mumbai: Maharashtra on Thursday recorded 1,086 new cases of Covid-19 and one death, which took the tally to 81,53,377 and the toll to 1,48,471, according to the state’s health officials. It is the second consecutive day when the addition to the tally was above the 1000-mark, they pointed out. On Wednesday, the state had recorded 1,115 cases.

Mumbai accounted for 274 cases, followed by 85 in Thane, 76 in Nagpur and 65 in Pune, while the sole death took place in Dhule, the officials said. The recovery count increased by 806 in the last 24 hours and touched 79,99,206, leaving the state with an active caseload of 5,700, he said.

So far, 8,67,56,157 coronavirus tests have been conducted in Maharashtra, including 16,011 in the last 24 hours, as per state health department data. Maharashtra's coronavirus figures for the day: Fresh cases: 1,086; Fatality: 1; Active cases: 5,700; Tests: 16,011.

India Logs Over 10,000 New Covid Cases – Highest In 8 Months

India witnessed a single-day rise of 10,158 coronavirus cases, the highest in nearly eight months, while 19 more deaths were recorded including four reconciled by Kerala on Thursday.

According to the latest Union Health Ministry data, the number of active cases has increased to 44,998. With 19 more fatalities, the death toll due to the virus has increased to 5,31,035. The newly recorded deaths included nine from Maharashtra, two from Gujarat and one each from Delhi, Kerala, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu and four reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The 10,158 deaths reported on Wednesday are the highest in 230 days. A total of 10,256 cases were recorded on August 26 last year. India reported 7,830 coronavirus infections on Wednesday.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 4.42 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was 4.02 per cent. The active cases now constitute 0.10 per cent of the total infections.

The nationwide COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.71 per cent, according to the health ministry website. The case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease rose to 4,42,10,127. According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country.

Mask Mandate For Children May Do More Harm Than Good: Experts

Mask mandates for children are ‘unscientific and rather harmful’, says a public health expert, explaining that incorrectly handled masks can make it more risky for disease transmission and their role is limited when Covid is endemic.

Though there are no Covid related guidelines or mask mandates by the government, about 200 private-run schools in the national capital have already made masks compulsory for students and staff members in view of the rising numbers.

"When the disease is endemic, the benefit of masks for all age groups and children is even less. Then, we need to remember that an incorrectly handled mask can make it riskier for transmission. If children keep touching the mask, it would make them prone to infection," said Chandrakant Lahariya, general physician and infectious diseases specialist.

According to Sudha Acharya, chairperson of the National Progressive Schools Conference, about 230 private schools in Delhi have mandated masks and implemented social distancing norms. These include schools such as Bal Bharti, Delhi Public School, St Mary's and Ahlcon Public School.