Daily testing for Covid increases in Navi Mumbai by 12%

The average of daily testing in Navi Mumbai has been increased by 12% following which a rise in daily cases by 22% is also reported in the last one week

The average of daily testing in Navi Mumbai has been increased by 12% following which a rise in daily cases by 22% is also reported in the last one week.

A Navi Mumbai resident undergoes testing for Covid in Vashi. (BACHCHAN KUMAR/HT PHOTO)

The weekly average cases this week were reported to be 33 as against 27 in the previous week.

The average testing, too, was reported to be 10,430 as against 9,303 reported last week. The daily positivity rate is 0.14% while the overall positivity is 4.37%. Currently, the total active cases are 327 (0.30%).

“There are days when the cases are above 40 but at the same time, there are days when cases are below 20. So, the conclusion that there is a surge cannot be made on the instances of a few days. If the cases remain stable at a higher number continuously, then we can call it a surge,” additional commissioner, Sanjay Kakade, said.

Medical health officer, Pramod Patil, has observed that there seems to be a spread this month mainly due to the travel history and the marriage functions happening.

“There definitely seems to be a spread this month. Decembers are the wedding seasons. Also, December is the month when people go for vacations. While looking at the various cases, it is found that most of them had a travel history, especially to Lonavala and Pune. The weekend trips is what is causing this spread. Because, most of the time, the mask protocol is not followed. The way the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation and the police in Navi Mumbai have been implementing the Covid protocols here, it is not done at other places.”

Patil has, hence, notified the Urban Health Primary Centre (UHPC) heads to keep a tab of people in their vicinity who go out over the weekends and to test them after they come back.

Dr Patil has also issued letters to hospitals in Navi Mumbai that promote medical tourism to inform the corporation every time they get an international patient. The corporate companies at MIDC have also been notified to inform them about the international corporates visiting them.