Mumbai: There was a small sigh of relief for the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, as the recovery rate of its Covid-19 infected employees increased to 35 per cent on Wednesday, with eight patients getting discharged in a single day. Of the 95 BEST staffers who have tested positive so far, including ten fresh cases reported on Wednesday, 33 have successfully battled the disease and been discharged while there have been five deaths so far.
Besides, 80 per cent of the patients currently under treatment are now asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms.
"In all, 95 BEST staffers were found Covid-19 positive. Five of them succumbed while 33 of them have been discharged till date. The rest are under treatment, so we can say the recovery rate has increased to 35 percent today" said Dr Anil Kumar Singhal, chief medical officer, BEST.
"As many as 80 percent of the patients who are presently undergoing treatment are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. I am sure many more will be discharged soon and the recovery rate is bound to go up" he added.
In another recent development, the BEST has installed PVC curtains in as many as 69 of its regular buses, separating the driver's cabin from the aisle. Similar curtains have been installed in between seats as well, so that there is minimum contact among the passengers. This is for the safety of the paramedics and essential service providers, whom the BEST has been regularly ferrying to and from work.
"In the last four days, we have fitted plastic curtains in as many as 69 buses and as many as 110 buses will get similar curtains soon," said BEST spokesperson Manoj Varade.
"We are installing these curtains keeping in mind buses which we are running specially for paramedical staffers. All buses on hospital routes will get these," he said.
