Covid-19: 100 patients in 3 days, Prabhadevi ward all set to cross 500-case mark

G-South ward followed by Byculla; Dharavi sees nine more cases; civic body to screen senior citizens

With at least 100 new cases in the past three days bringing its tally to 487, G-South ward in Mumbai is set to cross the 500-case mark.

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According to the data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), G-South ward (Prabhadevi, Worli) tops in the number of cases in the city, followed by E (Byculla and Mumbai Central) ward with 349 cases and G-North (Mahim, Dadar, Dharavi) ward with 251 cases, as on April 21.

Two wards, R (Dahisar-Borivli) and C wards (Chira Bazar-Kalbadevi) have the lowest number of cases at 20 and 23, respectively.

Nine more people tested positive for Covid-19 from Dharavi, taking the total to 189 on Wednesday. The new cases were reported from Kumbharwada, Shasrtrinagar, PMGP Colony, Kuttiwadi, 90-feet road and Tekdi Masjid localities of Dharavi, said a BMC officer. The officer said 12 people from Dharavi have succumbed to the coronavirus so far.

Considering the death rate due to coronavirus is the highest among senior citizens, the civic body has now decided to screen the elderly, especially in slum areas, and identify those with co-morbidities like hypertension and diabetes, as they fall in the high-risk category.

Of the 152 coronavirus-related deaths recorded in Mumbai, at least 71 were above 61 years.

In a circular issued by the BMC, a special team of doctors, community health workers and Asha workers will be appointed in all wards for door-to-door screening of senior citizens. If necessary, the team will refer them to a nearby dispensary for treatment. Covid-19 negative senior citizens will be moved to non-Covid hospitals to monitor their health conditions.

According to the BMC, so far, 67 patients from G-South ward have recovered and have been discharged, followed by 38 from K-East (Andheri East) and 31 each from E (Byculla) and K-West (Andheri W) ward, respectively.

Of the positive cases, more than 80% have been reported from slums such as Worli-Koliwada and Jijamata Nagar. According to the BMC records, over 3,800 persons from this ward have been quarantined. The fishermen’s colony in Koliwada was the city’s first containment zone.

After a BMC sweeper from Worli-Koliwada tested positive on April 2, civic health staffers have screened more than 80,000 people, said BMC officials.

“The number of cases in this area is increasing. So our teams were tracking all high- as well as low-risk contacts to quarantine them separately,” said a senior officer from the civic health department.

The civic body has identified 813 containment zones and sealed them. Of these, 124 were from G-South ward and 61 from E ward.