Maharashtra reports 66,836 new coronavirus cases, 773 deaths

According to the state government, Maharashtra on Friday registered 66,836 new Covid-19 cases and 773 virus-related fatalities.

Maharashtra on Friday reported an upsurge of 66,836 new coronavirus cases and 773 Covid-related deaths, according to the state government data.The state on Friday reported the highest single-day spike in the fatality count after 773 people succumbed to the deadly virus which continues to grip the country.With this, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra has risen to 6,91,851 — highest in India.The state's Covid-19 tally has now mounted to 41,61,676 and positivity rate jumped to 16.53 percent.With the growing cases, Maharashtra remains on edge as the state has reported shortage of medical supplies, including life-saving oxygen and Covid-19 vaccine doses. During a virtual meeting, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to increase the supply of medical oxygen to meet the state's requirements.Meanwhile, on Friday, India saw a single-day rise of 3,32,730 (3.32 lakh) coronavirus infections and 2,263 fatalities with 24,28,616 (24.28 lakh) active cases.The ongoing second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India may peak between May 11-15 with 33-35 lakh total ‘active’ cases and decline steeply by the end of May, according to a mathematical module devised by IIT scientists. ALSO READ | What is the new 'triple mutant variant' of Covid-19 virus found in Bengal? How bad is it?