While there is a slight rise in the number of new cases of COVID 19 under the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) jurisdiction, Chinchpada, another slum in the city has emerged as COVID free. At present, there is no active case left in the slum area. Civic administration claimed that citizens participation in implementation of civic initiative brought the positive result.
Earlier, Indira Nagar slum in Turbhe ward emerged as COVID 19 free. The aggressive tracing, testing, and treatment help to achieve the feat in these two slums. Even today there is no active case in Indiranagar slum.
According to civic officials, they took confidence of local leaders and carried an aggressive tracing and testing. “We traced at least 25 people of the infected and conducted testing to check the spread,” said a senior civic official from the civic health department.
The aggressive vaccination is also said to be a reason for controlling in new cases in slums. “The civic body is paying special attention in slums and deprived people for vaccination. Special drives have been conducted to vaccinate maximum number of citizens,” said the official.
As per the experts, the third wave of COVID 19 may hit the country by September-October, a 50-bed hospital has been set up in Chinchpada in Airoli ward by Meenatai Rahiwasi Sangh, a local outfit.
Apart from these two slums, Turbhe area which has maximum parts fall under slum is moving ahead zero active case. At present, there is only 1 active case and the civic body expects that the area will also become COVID free. During the first wave of COVID, the area was under the Red Zone and the civic body had devised a special pattern to control. “The extensive contact tracing had controlled the spread of COVID within 15 days. "We called it Turbhe Pattern," said the official. He added "The process of contact tracing had to be completed within 72 hours as sooner a person with symptoms of coronavirus positive is found and treatment starts, the sooner the corona chain will break.
