Madhya Pradesh: COVID-19 cases rise to 572; death toll touches 44

With 40 more persons testing positive for Coronavirus in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state climbed to 572, Health department officials said. Simultaneously, four more persons have died in the state, taking the COVID-19 death toll to 44, they said.

Two deceased each hailed from Indore and Bhopal. All the four tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection after their deaths, the officials said. Of the total 572 coronavirus positive cases, Indore has reported the highest number of 306 cases, with 25 new additions on Sunday, they said.

Meanwhile, Bhopal recorded eight more COVID-19 cases, taking the number of the affected people in the state Capital to 139. On Sunday, Satna district reported two cases. Satna Collector Ajay Katesaria has said that two prisoners, arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) in Indore and shifted here, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The contacts of the two cases are being quarantined, he said, adding that the two affected prisoners were shifted to the Rewa-based Medical College. New cases were reported from Itarasi (5) in Hoshangabad district, taking the overall COVID-19 tally in the district to 15, officials said.

According to the officials, of the total 44 deaths reported from across Madhya Pradesh so far, 32 were from Indore alone, followed by Ujjain (5), Bhopal (3), Khargone (2), and one each in Chhindwara and Dewas. The virus footprint has been expanded to 23 out of 52 districts.

Morena district has recorded 14 cases, Jabalpur nine, Ujjain 16, Hoshangabad 15, Khargone 14, Barwani 14, Gwalior six, Khandwa six, Dewas four, Vidisha 13, Chhindwara, Sheopur, Satna and Shivpuri two each and Betul, Shajapur, Raisen, Dhar, Sagar, Mandsaur and Ratlam one each, while one patient hails from another state. So far 41 patients have recovered and returned home, the officials said.