In Maharashtra, a total of 154 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Saturday, according to the Health Department. Concurrently, 172 COVID-19 patients were discharged after a full recovery, contributing to the state's impressive recovery rate of 98.17 per cent. The case fatality rate stands at 1.81 per cent. The health department conducted 14,790 tests on the same day, comprising 2,421 RT-PCR tests and 12,369 RAT tests.
Notably, the state has identified 139 cases of the JN.1 variant, with 141 COVID-19 deaths recorded since January 1, 2023. A release from the health department revealed that 70.92 per cent of these deaths occurred in individuals above 60 years of age, and 84 per cent of the deceased had comorbidities.
On a national scale, India reported 774 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, as confirmed by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday. Two deaths were reported during this period, one each in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The total count of coronavirus cases in India since the outbreak in January 2020 has reached 4,50,17,431, with the death toll rising to 5,33,387.
India continues to make progress in recovery, with 4,44,79,804 cases having successfully recuperated, reflecting an increase of 919 since the previous day. The Indian Council of Medical Research reported 34,660 tests conducted on January 5, 2024. India has administered a total of 220,67,81,345 vaccinations.
Southern India remains a significant region for COVID-19 cases, with Karnataka reporting 1,169 cases, Kerala 1,160, Tamil Nadu 188, and Maharashtra 931, according to data from the Ministry of Health.