For the first time since April, zero COVID-19 deaths were reported by the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking between November and December.
Total 54 frontline workers of the BEST undertaking had succumbed to COVID-19 between April and November. The last COVID-19 death in the undertaking was confirmed by the BEST medical team on November 11, following which there have been no fatalities while the number of active cases have also declined gradually.
"We have achieved zero case fatality rate in the past one month, also the overall case fatality rate has now fallen below 3 per cent," Dr. Anil Kumar Singhal, BEST Chief Medical Officer (CMO) told FPJ.
Between May and June, when the pandemic was at its peak, average eight to ten deaths were reported by the undertaking in each month. Also the monthly active cases in the undertaking during that period were between 200-250, now BEST has only 34 active cases.
Earlier on December 1, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) commended BEST for efficiently managing the COVID19 pandemic in its organisation. BEST had emerged to become the only organisation in the world which was recognised by the United Nation (UN) affiliated body.
Eversince the pandemic broke out, it was the BEST medical team that remained solely instrumental in providing hospital beds to its frontline workers. The medical team also played an active part in procuring the Remdesivir injection for the high-risk patients.
"The recovery rate in BEST is 95 per cent which is highest amongst all the organisations involved in frontline duty," Singhal pointed out.
Singhal also informed that BEST along with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is carrying out antigen tests of its employees and more than 1,500 frontline workers have been screened so far.
