Maha records 597 new Covid cases, 2 deaths; active tally drops to 4,717

Maharashtra on Friday recorded 597 fresh coronavirus cases, down from 754 the previous day, while two more patients succumbed to the infection in the state, said the health department.

With these additions, the state's overall COVID-19 tally rose to 81,64,977, while the death toll increased to 1,48,513, said the department in a bulletin. The state recorded 754 cases and three fatalities linked to the disease on Thursday. Mumbai recorded 135 cases and one fatality in the last 24 hours, said the bulletin. Neighbouring Raigad district recorded the second death. The state's coronavirus recovery rate was 98.12 per cent, while the fatality rate stood at 1.81 per cent. The department said 752 patients recovered from the respiratory illness in the last 24 hours, pushing up their cumulative count to 80,11,747 and leaving the state with 4,717 active cases. It said 15,621 new coronavirus tests were conducted in the state, upping their total tally to 8,69,67,964. The department said the XBB.1.16 Omicron variant is currently the most dominant COVID-19 strain prevalent in the state. A total of 1,112 cases of the variant have been detected in the state and it has caused eight deaths so far.