In a huge health concern, the Covid-19 positive cases count in Maharashtra shot up by 22 in the past 24 hours to stand at 147 now, a health official said here on Friday.
The overnight number of positive cases mounted from 125 to 135 with 10 new cases in the morning followed by 12 more detected positive from a single-family in Sangli.
The other infectees include four from Nagpur and one each from Gondiya, Kolhapur and Pune. Earlier on Friday, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that so far 19 persons have fully recovered and have been discharged from hospitals in Mumbai, Pune and other places.
"There are many more cases on way to recovery proving that the disease is curable. We have also tested over 4,200 persons. The strategy is three 'Ts' - Tracing, Testing and Treatment' of the patients," Tope said.
He said that the state is facing a shortage of blood for the treatment of the patients so people should come forward and donate blood, but by maintaining the social distancing norms.
Tope pointed out that since no flights are coming to Maharashtra and other parts of India, besides inter-state travel being closed due to the state and national lockdown, now the focus is on locally acquired infections.
"From the new Covid-19 suspects or cases, we are concentrating on those with social contact like families, neighbours, relatives, friends, etc. This emphasizes the need to maintain 'social distancing' and people must strictly follow it, even when they go out to buy essentials or ration shops," he urged.
The state's death toll has risen to 5, including two women, both 65, who passed away on March 24 and March 26.
Besides, there was a Covid-19 recovered Philippines national who also died, but since the causes were different, he is not counted in the coronavirus death toll.