Coronavirus cases decline, but BMC in no mood to shut COVID care centres

The number of cases may have declined in the past one month, but the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is not letting its guard down. The BMC has no plans to shut down any of its jumbo facility in Mumbai as yet.

Currently, there are five jumbo Covid Care facilities in Mumbai- Byculla, Bandra Kurla Complex, Nesco grounds (Goregaon East), Mulund and Dahisar. The general ward at the jumbo facility at Mahalaxmi has been discontinued however the ICU and ventilation system continue to operate.

“All the jumbo facilities are still operational. The manpower and logistics from the smaller facilities are now being transferred to these facilities. Also, the smaller facilities are not being shut permanently as we can still reactivate them if the need arises," a senior civic health official told FPJ.

Between September and December, the civic body has shut nearly 450 small Covid Care Facilities across all the 24 municipal wards in Mumbai. Civic officials stated, most of these facilities are now on standby mode which means - although they are shut, yet they can be made operational within 48 hours if the need arises.

Following July, most of the patients in the city were asymptomatic. The number of high-risk patients has fallen. A majority of the cases were being detected from highrises. Most of the beds in the smaller Covid care facilities remained empty.

Currently, 73 per cent of the total beds in the Covid Care Centres (CCC) are vacant in Mumbai. In nine municipal wards, 100 per cent of the beds in the CCC facilities are vacant. The civic health officials said now 90 per cent of the patients are being treated at their home, which is why the smaller facilities are presently kept on standby.