Sharpest 1-day Covid spike in Mumbai

Mumbai on Sunday reported 3,779 Covid-19 cases, the highest number of infections reported in the city in a day since the beginning of the pandemic in March last year

Mumbai on Sunday reported 3,779 Covid-19 cases, the highest number of infections reported in the city in a day since the beginning of the pandemic in March last year. So far, most cases recorded in a day in Mumbai were 3,063 last Friday, followed by 2,877 on Thursday. These high figures are being reported after the first peak that was witnessed in Mumbai in October 2020, and now civic authorities are calling this the next peak. However, a strict lockdown, as witnessed by the city in the beginning of the pandemic a year ago, is not on the cards for Mumbai yet, authorities said.

Sharpest 1-day Covid spike in Mumbai

On Sunday, Mumbai also reported 10 more Covid-19 deaths, taking the toll to 11,586. There are 362,675 cases in Mumbai so far, of which 22,081 cases are active ones. However, the case fatality rate (CFR) in the city has gone down to 3.1%, from 3.3% reported last week.

In the past week since March 14, active Covid-19 cases have increased by 76%, to the present 22,081 cases from 12,535 reported on March 14. On March 11, active cases in the city crossed the 10,000 mark, by recording a total of 10,563 active cases. These crossed the 20,000 mark on March 20 with 20,019 active infections up to March 20.

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner in-charge of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) public health department, said, “We can sustain this spike in cases because of our available medical infrastructure. Lockdown is not being planned in Mumbai as it brings all activities to a complete halt. We are going to increase the city’s bed capacity. Testing is being scaled up, and vaccination is being accelerated.”

On Friday, BMC asked private hospitals to activate all Covid-19 beds, as were available at the beginning of the pandemic. From the present 2,400-odd hospital beds available in private hospitals for Covid-19, the capacity will be increased to approximately 4,800 beds in private hospitals. Kakani said, “As a majority of cases are from residential buildings, the patients prefer to get admitted to a private hospital instead of a municipal hospital. Our municipal hospitals have already activated their beds, but these will also be increased.”

Presently, Mumbai has 12,694 hospital beds for serious, moderate and complicated Covid-19 cases, 820 beds for asymptomatic or mild symptomatic patients, 1,539 ICU beds, 966 ventilator beds, and 8,461 beds are equipped with oxygen points.

The total number of hospital beds will increase to around 16,000 in the next two days, and to around 20,000 beds within the next week, Kakani said.

BMC has also planned to scale up testing from the present average of 25,000 tests per day, to 50,000 per day. Rapid antigen tests will also be conducted at random, for visitors at public places such as malls, super markets, municipal markets, at railway stations and bus depots for inbound passengers on long-distance trains and buses. For Sunday’s figures, Mumbai conducted 24,220 tests.

The positivity rate has drastically increased in the city in the past few days. On Sunday, the positivity rate was 15.6%, up from 9% - 10% reported earlier this week, and 4% - 5% reported in the beginning of March. BMC has asked all private hospitals, which are vaccination centres, to increase vaccination targets to 1,000 beneficiaries per day. Overall in the city, BMC plans to vaccinate 100,000 beneficiaries per day.

First female loco pilot recovers from Covid-19

Surekha Yadav, the first female loco pilot, has recovered from Covid-19 and was discharged on Sunday. Yadav was undergoing treatment at Global Hospital, Thane.

Yadav became the first Asian woman to drive a train in 2000. She is also the first woman to pilot the Deccan Queen.

“ While on duty, I got infected. I am urging all people out on the field, kindly act promptly if you realise that you have the symptoms of Covid-19. Early detection can help in getting timely treatment and in curbing the spread of the virus.”