Covid-19 infections in Mumbai under control, BMC tells Bombay high court

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) told the Bombay high court that the number of Covid-19 cases in Mumbai declined to 7,000 new cases on Tuesday.

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday told the Bombay high court that the Covid situation in Mumbai and surrounding areas is under control as the daily count of new Covid-19 infections has gone down from around 20,000 just 10 days back to 7,000 on Tuesday, and that there is no need to panic.

Mumbai: Passengers arriving on outstation trains queue up for Covid-19 test by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) at CSMT station in Mumbai. (HT File Photo/Bhushan Koyande)

“Although number of positive cases were rising between January 6 and 9, there has been a gradual decline thereafter so much so that as on January 18, the number of positive cases reduced to 7,000,” senior advocate Anil Sakhare appearing for the BMC told a bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Makarand Karnik.

The high court has been tracking the rise of coronavirus infections in Maharashtra during hearings on a petition filed by lawyer Sneha Marjadi during the second wave of Covid infections last year when she complained of improper management of Covid-19 treatment in Maharashtra.

The high court will take up the case on Janaury 27 and has told the state government to file a report on the Covid-19 situation in Maharashtra till January 25.

In response to the court’s January 10 direction, BMC filed a status report on Covid-19 and the steps taken by the authorities. The BMC said that as on January 15, out of total 84,352 active Covid-19 cases, 7% patients were admitted in hospital, 3% were on oxygen beds, 1% in ICU and 0.7% on ventilators. Sakhare added that BMC is taking appropriate steps to contain third wave of pandemic and to attend patients who tested positive. Referring to the BMC report, Sakhare said that sufficient measures had been taken regarding vaccination, bed and ambulance management, oxygen supply and so on.