A health worker leaves a residential area after conducting swab tests for COVID-19 following rise in Coronavirus cases at Dharavi, in Mumbai on February 19, 2021.
After showing a downward trend for months, coronavirus cases are once again surging in Maharashtra. According to official data released on Friday, the state recorded 6,112 positive cases in last the 24 hours. As many as 44 deaths were reported from across the state taking the total death toll to 51,713.
The number of active cases in Maharashtra stands at 44,765.
As far as the capital city Mumbai is concerned, 823 cases and five deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases in the city has now reached 3,17,310, while the death toll is 11, 437
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Two new mutations found
In what could be a cause of worry, Researchers have found two new mutations in coronavirus samples from Amravati and Yavatmal districts of eastern Maharashtra which can escape neutralizing antibodies.
Yavatmal and Amravati are among the districts that have shown a considerable increase in new cases in the last one week.
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Concerned by growing number of coronavirus cases, the Yavatmal district administration has ordered a ten-day lockdown starting February 18.
A weekend lockdown has also been announced in Amravati district of the Vidarbha region from 8 pm on Saturday to 7 am on Monday.
