3 Mumbai wards see daily Covid case growth of over 5%: BMC’s data

Malad, Kandivli, Borivli, Dahisar wards are reporting their first few cases, say BMC officials

In a concern for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the daily Covid-19 growth rate in three wards in the western suburbs covering areas namely Malad, Kandivli, Borivli and Dahisar is above five per cent, much higher than the rest of the areas where the growth rate is 1-4%, data shows. The overall average growth rate of Covid-19 cases in the city has dipped to 2.93%.

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The three wards are P-N (Malad), R-S (Kandivli), R-N (Dahisar, Borivli), with P-N topping the list at 6.1 per cent, followed by R-N at 5.5% and R-S at 5.3%, as of BMC’s data for June 8. The three account for more than 4,000 cases.

Other areas namely Dharavi, Worli, Mankhurd, Chembur, Bandra-East, Kurla, Byculla and Malabar Hill that saw a high number of cases are seeing 1-4% growth in Covid-19 cases. The growth rate is the lowest (1.5%) in areas such as Byculla, Mazgaon, Matunga, Wadala and parts of Dadar.

According to BMC officials, the growth rate in these three wards is high, considering cases are coming from those pockets where there were no cases. A BMC official said, “The recovery rate of the three wards is also between 25 and 33 per cent, which indicates that the cases have increased in the past few days.”

In P-N ward, the recovery rate is 27%, 32% in R-S ward and 26% in R-N ward. Sanjay Kurhade, assistant municipal commissioner of R-S Ward that covers Kandivli, said, “The universal strategy is to trace, quarantine and test more focused suspects, so our focus is on slums. The growth rate is high because these are pockets where there were no cases earlier. The downfall has started in a few slum pockets, but new pockets are emerging which is contributing to the increased growth rate. Our focus is currently on areas like Poisar and Hanuman Nagar where cases are beginning to be reported.”

Dr Siddarth Paliwal, a Mumbai-based health consultant with a private hospital, said, “The growth rate is not much higher than other areas. However, with cases increasing, the growth rate will come down in these areas. BMC should also analyse and release the ward- or area-wise testing data. Then we can be in a better position to comment whether the rise or fall is rational.”

Meanwhile, Mumbai saw 1,015 cases in a day on Tuesday, taking the count to 51,100. The city also saw 58 deaths, which brought the toll to 1,760. The number of recovered patients in the city stands at 22,943, followed by 26,391 active cases, according to the state health department data.

According to BMC’s data, of the 3,12,778 senior citizens surveyed, it has referred 1,834 citizens for oxygen therapy. As of Tuesday, there are 775 active containment zones and 4,071 sealed buildings.