25 cases push Dharavi’s coronavirus count to 808

Twenty-five new cases of coronavirus were reported from Dharavi on Friday, taking the total number of cases in Asia’s largest slums to 808. This is around 7% of

Twenty-five new cases of coronavirus were reported from Dharavi on Friday, taking the total number of cases in Asia’s largest slums to 808. This is around 7% of the city’s total tally of 12,142 coronavirus cases. The death toll in Dharavi also escalated to 26, with five new deaths reported on Friday.

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Despite the cases surging, this is for the first time in the past few days, that the number of new cases have been low, as Dharavi recorded around 90 new cases every day. With 222 patients recovering, the slum’s recovery rate is 27%.

Meanwhile, the residents of Dr Baliga Nagar, where the first Covid-19 patient from Dharavi was found on April 1, heaved a sigh of relief as the area ceased to remain a containment zone.

Kiran Dighavkar, assistant commissioner of G North ward, which comprises of Dharavi, said, “We have also released 38 other containment zones until Thursday. However, on Friday, 51 new containment zones were also added, taking the total containment zones/sealed buildings in Dharavi to 253.”

The BMC has now chalked out a plan to open Mumbai’s first containment zone at Worli Koliwada. Sharad Ughade, assistant commissioner of G South ward, which comprises Worli Koliwada, said, “We have kept the koliwada under supervision, and have a de-containment plan for it. It will be released gradually.”

G South ward recorded around 730 Covid-19 cases, of which 369 patients have recovered. Ughade said, “The situation is under control in Worli, and we do not have the kind of outbreak as we had in the first few days when the cases came to light. Every day, there are 17-18 new cases in the whole of the ward.”

SION Hospital acting dean transferred

A day after a video from Sion Hospital showing coronavirus patients lying next to dead bodies in a ward went viral, Dr Pramod Ingale, the acting dean of the hospital, has been transferred back to biochemistry department. Dr Ramesh Bharmal, the former dean of BYL Nair Hospital will now take charge of Sion Hospital.