COVID-19: Maharashtra to vaccinate teaching, non-teaching staff by September 5, says Tope

By PTI

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Sunday said the state government plans to fully vaccinate all teaching and non-teaching staff against COVID-19 by September 5, and this would be the first step towards reopening of schools.

Speaking to reporters in Jalna, the minister said a special drive was being conducted for this, adding that a state task force was of the view that schools in districts where there were no positive cases can be reopened.

The state government is being alert due to the upcoming festival season, taking cue for Kerala where 31,000 COVID-19 cases were recorded in a single day post Onam celebrations, he added.

The state on Sunday reported 4,666 new coronavirus positive cases, which increased its tally to 64,56,939, while 131 deaths pushed the toll to 1,37,157, the health department said.

A total of 3,510 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, which took the state’s recovery count to 62,63,416.

Maharashtra’s recovery rate is 97 per cent and fatality rate is 2.12 per cent.

There are 52,844 active cases at present.

So far, 2,03,210 tests have been carried out in the state for COVID-19 detection, which took the overall test count to 5,36,59,613.

Jalna, Akola, Yavatmal, Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia districts and Parbhani city did not report a single infection case on Sunday, while there was no death due to the virus in Nagpur and Akola divisions of Vidarbha region during the day, the department said.

Mumbai city reported 345 new cases and two deaths.

With this, the caseload in the city went up to 7,43,499 and death toll to 15,974 deaths.

Mumbai region saw 845 cases and 11 deaths during the day, which took its overall tally to 16,62,394 and 34,976 deaths.

Nashik division reported 828 cases, including 716 in Ahmednagar district, while Pune division reported 1,908 cases, including 406 in Satara, 505 in Solapur, 579 in Pune district.

Kolhapur division logged 815 cases, including 419 in Sangli district, Aurangabad division 58 cases, Latur division 174 cases, Akola division 28 cases and Nagpur division reported 10 fresh cases.

Maharashtra’s coronavirus figures are as follows: Positive cases 64,56,939, death toll 1,37,157, active cases 52,844, recoveries 62,63,416, total number of tests 5,36,59,613, tests today 2,03,210.