COVID-19: Maharashtra records highest single-day spike of 25,883 cases

Maharashtra on Thursday logged in 25,883 fresh COVID-19 infections, the highest single-day spike recorded by the state since the outbreak of the pandemic. The last highest single-day spike was recorded by the state was on September 11, 2020 when it added 24,886 cases.

The state on Wednesday had reported 23,179 fresh cases, which was a 30 per cent rise from the day before.

Maharashtra till February 9 had been logging in less than 3,000 cases a day, before the surge occurred. The state which crossed the 3000-mark on June 5 last year, had taken more than four months to record the highest number of cases on September 11, which in turn was followed by a steady decline.

The Centre has said that the state accounts for 60 per cent of the country’s active COVID-19 cases and 45.4 per cent of deaths.

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While the rising number indicate at an outbreak of the second wave of the pandemic, hinted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a meeting with chief ministers on Wednesday, it could be caused by the emergence of several strains of the mutated virus.

In view of the sudden spike in cases, the Maharashtra government has imposed curbs on all social, cultural, political and religious gatherings in the state.

Apart from the southern state, others like Punjab (2,369), Karnataka (1,488), Gujarat (1,276), Tamil Nadu (989), Madhya Pradesh (917), and Haryana (633) also recorded their biggest single-day spike of cases for the year.

The rise in cases comes even as the government’s COVID-19 vaccination drive is underway across the country. So far, 3.89 crore people have been vaccinated.