Madhya Pradesh reports 72 new COVID-19 cases; state tally now 385

As 72 new coronavirus positive cases were reported in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, the number of such patients in the state jumped to 385, health officials said.

Of these 385, the highest number of 213 cases are from Indore, the commercial capital of the state. Forty of these cases were reported in the district on Wednesday alone, the officials said.

Nine new cases were reported in Bhopal in 24-hours, which took the tally of COVID-19 patients in the state capital to 94, they said.

The death toll due to coronavirus in the state now stands at 29 of whom, 21 persons died in Indore. Five others died in Ujjain, one each in Bhopal, Khargone and Chhindwara, said health officials.

With cases of infection being reported from two more districts of the state Khandwa and Raisen - on Wednesday, the pandemic has covered 16 districts of the state so far.

Apart from Indore and Bhopal, Morena district has recorded 13 cases, Jabalpur nine, Ujjain 15, Khargone 12, Barwani 12, Gwalior six, Chhindwara and Shivpuri two each and Betul, Sheopur, Hoshangabad, Vidisha, Raisen (new district) and Khandwa (new district) recording one case each. One patient hails from other state. One patient hails from other state.

So far, 25 persons have been discharged from hospitals after their recovery, the officials said.

The condition of 264 patients is stable, while 26 patients were said to be in a serious condition.

In the past one week, two IAS officers posted in the state's health department have tested positive for coronavirus.

Besides, about 45 health workers, including doctors, 12 police personnel and their family members, have tested positive in Bhopal.

Meanwhile, the authorities on Wednesday sealed Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain districts to control the spread of coronavirus, officials said.