4 hospitals, 26 teams ready to tackle virus

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) convened meetings within the civic health department and has kept ready 100 beds ready at four hospitals for suspected

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) convened meetings within the civic health department and has kept ready 100 beds ready at four hospitals for suspected patients. The civic body has also formulated 26 teams to monitor the incidence of coronavirus in the city.

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On Tuesday, additional civic commissioner Suresh Kakani instructed the health department to keep all infrastructure and manpower ready to deal with potential emergency situations. “As of now, we have screened 152 patients, of which 149 tested negative,” said Kakani, adding that the results of the remaining three were expected late on Tuesday.

To prevent delays arising from waiting for reports from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune, the BMC’s health department has set up a lab testing unit at Kasturba Hospital, to analyse samples for coronavirus. Results may be expected within three hours of submitting a sample.

As a precautionary measure, the BMC has kept 100 beds ready in isolation wards across Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar; KB Bhabha Hospital, Bandra; KB Bhabha Municipal Hospital, Kurla; and Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care, Jogeshwari. Additionally, 24 health teams consisting of six members will be deployed at every ward to monitor patients who may show symptoms of coronavirus. Two teams will be deployed at the international airport to monitor the situation around the clock.

Approximately 65,621 passengers have been screened for possible coronavirus infection at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. All passengers arriving from China (including Hong Kong), Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, Italy, Iran and Malaysia are being screened at the airport, using thermal scanners.

A spokesperson for Mumbai International Airport Ltd. (MIAL) said, “ At Mumbai, we are currently conducting thermal screenings for passengers arriving from 12 different destinations. As of 3rd March 2020, we have screened approximately 64,621 passengers across 549 flights at the airport.”

So far, 401 passengers, who had arrived from coronavirus-affected areas, have been quarantined across the state.