The city reported 739 new Covid cases on Wednesday, the highest since February 1 this year, when 803 cases had been reported. With the positivity rate per 100 tests in the city having risen to 8.40 per cent, from six per cent on Tuesday, the BMC is taking a serious view of the situation and has accordingly issued a directive to all the 24 administrative wards in the city. Ward offices have been told to increase testing on a war footing and ramp up the vaccination drive. Also, the jumbo field hospitals, as well as private hospitals, have now been asked to stand by on alert.
Currently, there are 2,970 active cases, of which 102 are hospitalised. With the spurt in infections in the city, the BMC is expecting a rapid rise in symptomatic cases in the coming days. On Wednesday, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal directed all the assistant commissioners of wards to review their respective ward war rooms and ensure these were fully equipped with staff, medical teams and ambulances. Further, they have been told to review Covid cases in their wards daily and make strong interventions wherever required.
In the third wave, the BMC had been testing around 40,000 to 50,000 people daily. But as cases began to decline, the number of tests conducted daily in the city also dropped, falling by 80 per cent in the last few days. On Wednesday, 8,792 Covid tests were conducted in the city. Now, since the BMC is expecting a rise in symptomatic cases, testing will be ramped up soon. Testing labs have been told to be proactive and fully staffed. “Adults are fully vaccinated, but the 12- 17 age group is at risk of infection. So we have started vaccination drives at tourist spots and we will encourage people to get booster doses,” said an official from the BMC’s health department.
Since the monsoon will arrive shortly, the assistant commissioners have been ordered to visit jumbo field hospitals in their jurisdictions, to ensure these are ready for the monsoon with dewatering pumps, structural stability certification, fire-safety mechanisms, housekeeping, catering, paramedical and medical staff, oxygen-manufacturing plants and are fully equipped with medicines. The BMC has also decided that the jumbo hospital in Malad will be put to use on priority basis if hospitalisations increase in the coming days.
ACTIVE CASES
May 1 - 628
May 11 - 851
May 21 - 1,212
May 31 - 2,526
INCREASE IN CASES
May 25 - 218
May 26 - 350
May 27 - 352
May 28 - 330
May 29 - 375
May 30 - 318
May 31 - 506
After the tapering of the third wave, the BMC closed down the Dahisar, Nesco in Goregaon (Phases 1 and 2) and Kanjurmarg jumbo field hospitals. All ten jumbo hospitals have 15,000 beds, which can be made available as jumbo hospitals are kept in stand-by mode. 141 private hospitals in the city have been told to be on alert mode and prepare for a rapid increase in cases. Private hospitals can make available 16,000 beds, BMC officials said.
