Coronavirus cases in Mumbai’s Dharavi area triple in 5 days to 86; 9 deaths recorded

The number of positive coronavirus cases in Dharavi have tripled in the past five days, from 28 cases on April 11 to 86 on April 16, while the death toll during

The number of positive coronavirus cases in Dharavi have tripled in the past five days, from 28 cases on April 11 to 86 on April 16, while the death toll during the same period has also increased from four to nine, data from the state health department revealed.

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On Thursday, Dharavi saw its highest spike in the number of coronavirus-positive patients, with 26 new cases. A 58-year-old man from Laxmi Chawl, who had been tested positive last week, also died on Thursday.

Of the 26 cases, 11 were reported from Muslim Nagar and one each from Janata Society, Suroday Society and Shiv Shakti Nagar, while the remaining cases from the rest of the areas, civic officials said.

The first case in Dharavi was reported on April 1, following which there has been a rapid surge in the number of positive cases, which may soon pose a grim challenge for civic authorities. If the pattern continues, Dharavi could see around 100 cases in the next few days.

Of the total 86 cases from the area, Muslim Nagar and Mukund Nagar areas have reported the highest number of cases with 18 residents having been tested positive from each of the areas. Social Nagar and Janata Nagar have reported eight cases each, while five cases were detected from Dr Baliga Nagar localities. The remaining cases were found from other areas of Dharavi.

“While screening residents in Dharavi’s red zones, we have been detecting more and more infected patients. We have targeted the high and low-risk contacts of Covid-19 patients and the new cases have been reported from these localities only,” said Kiran Dighavkar, assistant commissioner of G North ward, which comprises of Dharavi.

He further said that the high-risk symptomatic patients have been institutionally quarantined, while the low-risk asymptomatic patients were home quarantined.

The civic body has prepared a quarantine centre in a municipal school with 600 beds and at Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex with 300 beds. It has also acquired Sai Hospital, which has a capacity of 51 beds, for quarantine and treatment.

The hospital’s medical staff will also help the civic body with in treating patients.

The slums in Dharavi are spread in an area of more than 240 hectares and house around 8.5 lakh residents.

With a population density of 66,000 people per square kilometre, it is one of the most-cramped areas of the city.

Activists and health workers had earlier expressed concerns over how social distancing is practically impossible in the area, where on an average, around 10-12 people stay in each of 57,000 housing units, measuring around 250 sq ft each.