By QUAID NAJMI

Mumbai, Sep 17 (IANS): Exactly six months after Maharashtra had its first coronavirus death on March 17 - of a 64-year-old man who succumbed at Mumbai's Kasturba Hospital, the state has seen its death toll go up massively to 30,883, officials said on Thursday.

This comes to a rough average of 172 deaths per day (till September 16), according to the data.

Though coronavirus was effectively controlled in the biggest worry spot of Mumbai's Dharavi -- Asia's biggest slum, the disease has spread beyond the state capital and into rural and mofussil areas of the state.

In the country's commercial capital, the fatalities stand at 8,280 or an average of around 46 Covid deaths daily in this period.

In terms of cases, the state's tally has shot up from the first two Covid-19 positive cases reported in Pune on March 9 to 11,21,221 till date -- a staggering average of 6,229 new cases reported per day.

In a month after its first Covid death on March 17, the state recorded 201 deaths and 3,320 cases by April 17, and by May 17, the number of cases shot up 10 times to 33,053 while there were 1,198 fatalities, and by June 17, the cases more than tripled to 113,445 and over 5,537 deaths.

On July 17, the figures had more than doubled over June to stand at 292,589 cases and 11,452 deaths, and by August 17, the cases had more than doubled to 604,358 while there were 20,265 fatalities.

Since August 17 till now, the number of cases have shot up by nearly twice to 11,21,221, and the fatalities have gone up considerably to touch 30,883 now.

One third of the state's death toll has been reported in the past one month alone, sending alarm signals and apprehensions of whether the state is in the grip of a second wave of the pandemic.

Currently, Maharashtra has overtaken Russia which has 10,85,281 cases and 19,061 fatalities - ranking at No 4 on Worldometer Covid-19 dashboard after the US, India itself and Brazil.

The silver lining is in the past three months, the state has recorded an impressive recovery rate -- from 54.81 per cent on July 17 to 70.71 per cent till date -- with 792,832 fully cured patients, including half a dozen centenarians, returning home.

Even the mortality rate -- which stood at 3.91 on July 17 -- has been steadily declining and now stands at 2.75 per cent now.

This must be viewed against the backdrop of early-April to mid-April, when Maharashtra's mortality rate was the highest in the world, shocking health authorities.

However, with the frantic efforts of the state government and 'Corona Warriors', the state's fatality rate has been brought to 2.75 per cent, compared with the latest global average (3.18 per cent), and closer to the national average (1.63 per cent) now.

Since August 16, Pune district surpassed Mumbai and Thane districts to now emerge as India's new 'Corona Capital' with 244,530 cases and 4,936 deaths, compared with Mumbai's 175,974 fatalities and 8,280 fatalities, and Thane's 162,745 cases and 4,390 deaths.

Presently, the 'Corona Triangle' comprising Mumbai, Pune and Nashik Circles - with 12 districts account for 859,527 infections - or nearly three-fourths of the state's 11,21,221 cases, and 24,012 deaths.

The remaining five circles with 24 districts account for the remaining share of 261,694 cases and 6,871 fatalities.

From March 15, Maharashtra had been under the precautionary lockdown, followed by ongoing extensions to the lockdown with easing of restrictions till July 30 - and it is the ongoing phases of 'Unlock' that the state has seen the maximum numbers of cases and fatalities.