Maharashtra on Wednesday registered 23,179 new coronavirus cases – its highest one-day rise in infections this year. Wednesday’s cases were nearly 30% higher than the previous day.

Maharashtra’s overall count went up to 23,70,507. Its toll rose to 53,080 as 84 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. Mumbai reported 2,377 new cases in the day – a huge increase compared to the 1,992 cases it recorded on Tuesday and the highest one-day rise this year.

Nagpur city reported the highest cases in the state with 2,698 new infections, followed by 2,612 in the city of Pune. Pune division, which comprises the civic bodies of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, and districts of Pune, Solapur and Satara, reported 5,268 cases, which was the highest across the state’s six divisions, according to PTI.

From the beginning of the pandemic, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases in the country. While infections did drop for some time in September and October, they have surged again over the last few weeks. At a press briefing on Wednesday, the health ministry said that 60% of India’s total active cases were concentrated in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, Delhi recorded 536 new cases, ANI reported. Delhi’s tally rose to 6,45,025. Three more deaths pushed its toll to 10,948.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met chief ministers of several states to discuss the alarming surge in coronavirus cases. He told them that the country needed to act quickly to stop the second wave of the pandemic.

“If we don’t stop this pandemic right now, then there could be a nationwide outbreak,” the prime minister warned the states. “We do not have to create panic among people but need to take some initiatives to help people.”

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Modi instructed chief ministers to take the “test, track and treat” strategy seriously and pay urgent attention to the wastage of vaccine doses.

The prime minister warned states that self-confidence should not turn into overconfidence. “Our success [in fighting the coronavirus] should not be the reason for carelessness,” he added.

India registered 28,903 new cases on Wednesday morning – the highest rise in infections since December 13. The country’s tally rose to 1,14,38,734. India’s toll went up to 1,59,044 as it registered 188 deaths in the last day.