Maharashtra reports over 8,000 new coronavirus cases, 80 deaths
Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 8,807 new infections, taking its total count to 21,21,119. With 80 new fatalities being reported during the day, the state's death toll rose to 51,937.
The increase in cases was steep considering that on Tuesday, the state had reported 6,218 new COVID-19 cases.
Of 80 deaths, 27 took place in the past 48 hours, while 22 were from the last week. The remaining 31 deaths were from the period before that, officials said.
As many as 2,772 patients were discharged from hospitals on Wednesday, taking the total of recoveries to 20,08,623.
Ramp up testing
Maharashtra government has instructed all district collectors and municipal commissioners to increase testing. Officials were also asked to carry out contact tracing of coronavirus patients more vigorously.
On average, over 60,000 coronavirus tests are being conducted in the state over the last two weeks.
Maharashtra has witnessed an upward trend in COVID-19 cases since February 10.
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