A data released by the BMC shows that the residential areas of Mahim and Dadar have more cases than the slums of Dharavi in the ongoing second wave of the Covid-19. In 2021, the entire G North (GN) ward which covers these three areas reported 9,350 cases so far. Out of the total cases, Mahim has the highest tally of 3,651cases (39 per cent) followed by Dadar, which has reported 3,449 (36 per cent) cases, while Dharavi has reported only 2,250 cases (24 per cent).
Dharavi has a growth rate of 0.89 per cent while Dadar and Mahim’s growth rate is 1.44% and 1.22% respectively. Senior BMC officials have said this is a unique pattern that has been recorded. "In the second wave, more than 90% of the cases are being reported from slums and high rises, this is a common pattern recorded in entire Mumbai," said Kiran Dighavkar, BMC assistant commissioner and in-charge of GN ward.
"While fewer cases are reported from slums, most of them are asymptomatic," he added. During January and February, the GN ward had been reporting 25-30 cases daily on an average. However, the tally rose to 50-70 cases per day during mid-March and in April it is 250-300 cases daily.
Dharavi reports 35-60 cases per day, while the Mahim and Dadar report around 80-150 cases daily. On April 14, a total of 405 cases were reported from this ward. It was the highest single day case spike reported from this ward since the pandemic broke out.
The officials said that with the rise in the number of cases, the rate of testing has also been increased. "Cases reported in slums are detected randomly, while in buildings cluster cases are being reported from families," Dighavkar said.
Also, 20,947 beneficiaries in GN ward have received their vaccine dosages so far. Officials said that vaccination has been a top priority in this ward.
"We want to vaccinate as many people as we can to avoid the last year’s scenario. We have roped in NGOs and social workers to raise awareness among people. The footfall is increasing," said Suresh Kakani, BMC additional commissioner and in-charge of public health. So far, total 22,955 cases have been reported from GN ward and there are 5,451 active cases at present.
