41% ICU beds, 33% ventilator beds allotted for Covid in Mumbai vacant as of Thurs

BMC has said there could be a spike in Covid-19 cases in December and January but Mumbai’s health infrastructure is equipped to handle it.

About 67% of beds, 41% of the ICU beds, 67% of the oxygen beds, and 33% of the ventilator beds reserved for Covid-19 patients in Mumbai were vacant as of Thursday, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

A health care worker during a Covid-19 screening drive at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT File Photo)

Mumbai had 13,754 active Covid-19 cases on Friday compared to 11,000 the previous week. BMC has said there could be a spike in Covid-19 cases in December and January but Mumbai’s health infrastructure is equipped to handle it.

Suresh Kakani, an additional municipal commissioner in-charge of BMC’s public health department, said they have sufficient beds to handle the spike. “Most symptomatic patients need oxygen beds... fewer need ICU beds and even fewer need ventilator beds. Hence 50% of Mumbai’s total bed capacity are oxygen beds.”

Around 72% of the active cases in Mumbai are asymptomatic, 21% are symptomatic, and 7% are critical, BMC said. Mumbai’s recovery rate is 92%.