Eight states account for over 84% of India’s new Covid-19 new cases- Maharashtra has reported the highest daily rise of 40,414 Covid-19 cases

Social workers distribute pamphlets in Mumbai urging people to not celebrate Holi this year. (PTI)

Express Web Desk | Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai | March 29, 2021 : Eight states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka and Punjab, account for 84.5 per cent of the 68,020 fresh cases recorded in the country in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said Monday. 

Maharashtra has reported the highest daily rise of 40,414 Covid-19 cases, followed by 3,082 in Karnataka, 2,870 in Punjab, 2,276 in Madhya Pradesh, 2,270 in Gujarat, 2,216 in Kerala, 2,194 in Tamil Nadu and 2,153 in Chhattisgarh, the ministry informed.

With 291 deaths in the last 24 hours, the overall death toll touched 1,61,843. There are 5,21,808 active coronavirus cases in the country while as many as 1,13,55,993 people have recovered from the disease.

Meanwhile, as the number of currently active Covid-19 cases touched a new record in Maharashtra, the state appeared headed towards a lockdown in the coming week, officials told The Indian Express on Sunday. The lockdown option was discussed at a meeting Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had with Health Minister Rajesh Tope, Health Secretary Dr Pradeep Vyas, and the Covid Task Force to consider ways to bring the surge in cases under control. Over the last three days, Maharashtra has recorded more than 1.13 lakh new infections; 40,414 new cases were detected on Sunday.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan chaired a high-level meeting with state health secretaries, municipal commissioners, and district collectors of 46 districts, the most affected in terms of rising cases and rising mortality. In the meeting, the Centre highlighted that 90 per cent of the Covid-19 deaths continue to be in the category of those aged above 45 years.

Significantly, of the total 36 districts in Maharashtra, the most affected 25 account for 59.8 per cent of the total cases reported in the country in the past one week.

In the meeting, the Centre spelled out a multi-prong strategy — on effective containment and contact tracing for at least 14 successive days — for the 46 districts, which together account for 71 per cent of cases and 69 per cent of deaths this month.

It also focussed critically on the alarming rate of deaths being reported in Punjab and Maharashtra, sources said.

Top government sources, who were present in the meeting, told The Indian Express that a detailed discussion was specifically held with district magistrates of Pune, Aurangabad, Nagpur, and Yavatmal.