After recording the biggest single-day jump in cases since February and January at 5,218 and 2,479 respectively, on Thursday, Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra and state capital Mumbai saw a sharp drop over the last 24 hours. The state logged 4,205 fresh Covid infections on Friday while the financial capital recorded 1,898 cases. The fresh cases in the city marked a drop of 23.43 per cent.

The last one week has seen a steady rise in hospitalisation numbers in Chandigarh, with the average occupancy of Covid beds with oxygen in government hospitals between 15 and 23, and the number of people on ventilators between one and four. On June 24, 22 people were hospitalised, with four on a ventilator; on June 23, 18 Covid beds with oxygen were occupied, with five on a ventilator; on June 22, 23 people were hospitalised, with three on a ventilator; and on June 21, 20 were admitted to the Covid wards, with three on a ventilator. Prof Ashutosh N Aggarwal, head, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, PGI, said most admissions are primarily due to co-morbid illnesses rather than Covid-19 per se. “Very few patients are requiring mechanical ventilation. Both Covid-19 pneumonia and underlying medical conditions contribute to clinical worsening and respiratory failure in such cases.”