Maharashtra on Friday, 28 January, reported 24,948 new COVID cases, 45,648 recoveries, and 103 deaths – the highest since 6 October 2021, when 90 deaths were reported in a day.
Of the new cases, 110 people had tested positive for Omicron, which has become the dominant variant in the country. Meanwhile, the number of active cases in the state stands at 2,66,586.
The state recorded a daily positivity rate of 10.32 percent, which is lower than the national average of 15.88 percent.
Further, a daily health bulletin read, "Currently 14,61,370 people are under home quarantine and 3,200 people are in institutional quarantine."
Mumbai's positivity rate has fallen to 3.2 percent, as the city reported 1,384 new cases on Thursday.
As India continues to grapple with the Omicron outbreak, the country reported 2,51,209 new COVID-19 cases – a minor decline from the 2.86 lakh cases on Thursday – and 627 deaths on Friday.
While the number of active cases stands at 21,05,611, the daily positivity rate has dropped to 15.88 percent.
Meanwhile, Delhi reported a drop in cases with 4,044 new COVID infections, 8,042 recoveries, and 25 deaths in the last 24 hours. The number of active cases currently stands at 29,152, while the positivity rate is at 8.60 percent.
The weekend curfew has been lifted in the national capital, and restaurants have been allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity.
With cases seemingly ebbing in Delhi and Mumbai, other states like Karnataka and Kerala have started reporting a higher number of daily COVID cases. As of Friday, Karnataka tops the active cases list with 3,28,741 infections.
Kerala, meanwhile, reported 51,739 new COVID-19 cases and 68 deaths on Thursday, with a whopping positivity rate of 44.6 percent. As many as 1,16,003 samples were tested.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)