Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope cries for Centre’s help as overall COVID-19 death toll reaches 62,479

Mumbai: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday (April 22) stated the state authorities is even keen to the touch the Centre’s ft if it helps in getting the required provide of the life-saving gasoline. The state is at present going through a extreme scarcity of medical oxygen amid the spike in COVID-19 circumstances.

Amid this ongoing disaster, Maharashtra reported a document variety of Covid deaths with its overall toll racing previous the 62,000-mark, in keeping with the state well being division information at this time. The state`s fatalities remained on the peak of 568 notched on April 21, as the overall toll shot previous the 62,000-mark to 62,479, the worst within the nation, stated an IANS report.

Speaking to reporters, Health Minister stated, “The state government is willing to do everything to save the lives of people. We are making an extremely polite request…Even ready to touch the Centre’s feet to get the required quantity of the liquid medical oxygen.”

“The rights of oxygen distribution among the states is in the hands of the Union government. They should exercise their rights and ensure that Maharashtra gets more oxygen,” Tope is quoted by PTI as saying.

He stated the Centre ought to be certain that oxygen-carrying tankers get a inexperienced hall in order that they will attain rapidly, including “I am making this request to the Centre again and again.” 

Notably, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state by way of COVID- 19 circumstances and deaths. The scenario in Mumbai improved a bit with a drop in new infections from 7,654 on Wednesday to 7,367 on Thursday, taking town`s Covid tally to 609,080 until date, 18 days after it reported the best every day spike of 11,206 circumstances on April 4, IANS report stated.

Mumbai`s deaths continued to extend from 62 on Wednesday to 75 on Thursday, taking its overall death toll to 12,583, the best for a single metropolis within the nation.

On a brighter word, a complete of 62,298 totally cured individuals reportedly returned house on Thursday, taking the entire quantity recoveries to 33,30,737, with the restoration bettering barely from 81.15 per cent on Wednesday to 81.34 per cent now.

The death fee once more dropped from 1.54 per cent a day earlier to 1.53 per cent now, whereas the variety of energetic circumstances elevated to 699,858 on Thursday, the report stated.

Meanwhile, state-run RINL on Thursday stated the Oxygen Express prepare with 100 tonnes medical oxygen has left for Maharashtra from its plant in Visakhapatnam. “First Oxygen Express chugged off RINL #VizagSteelPlant site carrying 100 tons of Liquid Medical Oxygen to Maharashtra to meet medical exigencies of covid patients,” Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) stated in a tweet.

Until now, RINL on a median was supplying 100 tonnes oxygen every day to Andhra Pradesh and adjoining states. In the final one week, RINL has equipped about 800 tonnes oxygen, an organization spokesperson informed PTI, including “we can support till 100-150 tonne per day depending on demand.”