Mumbai, Mar 27 (IANS): In the highest incidence so far, Maharashtra's COVID-19 positive cases count shot up by 31 in the past 24 hours to stand at 156 now, health officials said here on Friday.

The overnight number of COVID-19 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 and zoomed to 156 by evening with 9 new cases in Mumbai and one in Navi Mumbai.

Besides Sangli, the others include four from Nagpur and one from Gondiya, Kolhapur and Pune.

In Mumbai, nine persons including 3 women, tested positive, including a woman who had travel history to the US and reportedly infected three others. All the four including a male are admitted to Bhabha Hospital in Kurla suburb.

The other five males include one with travel history to USA, three to UAE and one close contact, taking the total new cases to nine.

An infant has reportedly been infected in Navi Mumbai, details of which are awaited.

In Mumbai, a senior doctor reportedly succumbed to COVID-19, but the state and city health authorities refused to comment on grounds that the victim's test reports are awaited.

Earlier today, 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. We have also tested over 4,200 persons. The strategy is three 'Ts' - tracing, testing and treatment' of the patients," Tope said.

He said 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 all flights coming to Maharashtra and other parts of India, besides inter-state travel 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 and friends. 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," Tope said.

The state's death toll has risen to 5, including two women, both 65, who passed away on March 24 and March 26, and three males earlier last week.