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Drop in death toll a priority: New NMMC chief
The newly-appointed Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar has said that reduction of fatalities and breaking the chain of infection will be priorities.
The newly-appointed Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar has said that reduction of fatalities and breaking the chain of infection will be priorities. For this, Covid infrastructure in the city will be upgraded, he said. Bangar also stated that civic employees will be available 24X7 for the people of the city.
Bangar who took charge on Tuesday, following which he held a press conference at the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC0 headquarters in CBD Belapur on Wednesday to lay out his plans to fight Covid-19.
Navi Mumbai on Wednesday recorded 356 cases and eight deaths, taking the total count to 10,273 cases and 318 deaths.
“Our priority is to reduce fatalities and breaking the infection chain. For this, early detection is important, for which the testing infrastructure, both of the government and private bodies, needs to be upgraded and augmented. Based on the results, we will be able to admit patients in various categories of Covid health facilities,” said Bangar.
The civic chief said that rapid antigen tests are very crucial for early detection as the results come in 30 mins. “We will start using it immediately as per the ICMR guidelines. It will be used in containment and hotspot areas as well at hospitals. We will also be undertaking facility upgrade in terms of oxygen equipped beds, ICU beds availability of ventilators among other things. The number of beds and ambulances will also be increased,” he said
The commissioner informed that the pandemic is an emergency work and all NMMC employees will be available 24x7 irrespective of holidays and office hours.
Ruling out the shutting of the wholesale APMC market, which has become a Covid hot spot, the civic chief said, “APMC is very important, and breaking the chain of infection there is a major challenge. It can’t be shut down; instead, we will ensure there is no crowding, social distancing is maintained and the norms are strictly followed.”
