Mumbai: Dharavi sees 16 cases, highest in past four months

Asia’s one of the largest slum cluster — Dharavi that was a Covid-19 hotspot in the initial days of the outbreak in Mumbai, has reported 16 cases on Friday, the highest in four months

Asia’s one of the largest slum cluster — Dharavi that was a Covid-19 hotspot in the initial days of the outbreak in Mumbai, has reported 16 cases on Friday, the highest in four months.

A health worker screens inbound travellers at CSMT. (Bhushan Koyande / HT Photo)

On October 23 last year, 18 cases were reported in Dharavi, after which, the number reduced. Later, 15 new cases were reported on December 3, 2020.

According to BMC officials, the number of cases has increased, as they have ramped up testing.

Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner of BMC’s G North Ward, under which Dharavi falls, said, “We are aggressively testing as many people as possible, to curb the spread. There is nothing like a localised outbreak in Dharavi, considering we have increased testing.”

According to the BMC data, Dharavi’’s caseload currently stands at 4,066, and so far 3,699 patients have already recovered and got discharged from hospitals. At present, the area has 51 active cases.

The first Covid-19 case in Dharavi was reported on April 1 last year, nearly 20 days after the first patient was found in Mumbai.