As the number of daily cases surged from 3,982 on July 1 to 6,726 on July 25, NMMC officials put it on the increased number of tests being conducted. (Representational)
Facing flak for not doing enough to contain the rising number of Covid-19 cases, the Navi Mumbai Muncipal Corporation (NMMC), since July 16, has conducted 33,453 rapid antigen tests, with over 3,000 people testing positive.
Navi Mumbai, which has 3,726 active cases at present, has till now witnessed 36,670 RT-PCR tests being conducted since the pandemic began in March.
Officials said the rapid antigen tests, which are used for larger surveys to determine the spread of the virus, were conducted in specific locations, including containment zones, to plan further strategy. The tests were also conducted on specific groups exposed to the virus – Navi Mumbai Police officers and those who regularly go to the local APMC market in Vashi, including traders and loaders.
On Thursday, a camp was organised to conduct rapid antigen tests on those who regularly visit the APMC. “More tests are planned for other groups, who are likely to have been exposed to the virus, including the staffers of Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport, those working in major hospitals and housing societies where many cases were detected,” the official said.
The city has recorded 18,481 cases with 469 deaths so far with a mortality rate of 2.54 per cent and recovery rate of 77 per cent. On Sunday, the city recorded eight deaths.
Initially, when the number of cases began surging in May, the NMMC used to test around 170 to 200 samples each day. It scaled up to 250 to 400 tests in June-July. From mid-July, the tests have been further increased to 3,000 per day. Amid this, Abhijit Bangar replaced Annasaheb Misal as NMMC chief on July 14.
As the number of daily cases surged from 3,982 on July 1 to 6,726 on July 25, NMMC officials put it on the increased number of tests being conducted.
For the whole month of July, even as the state eased restrictions as per its Mission Begin Again initiative, the suburbs under NMMC, including Vashi, Koparkhairane, Ghansoli, Airoli and Nerul, remained under a lockdown. The corporation also decided against allowing permission for malls to reopen despite issuing orders in its favour earlier.
The initial spike in cases in April was linked to Vashi APMC, which has the largest wholesale market for vegetables, fruits and grains, and catered to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The market was shut in April after a few who usually visit the premises tested positive. It reopened but was shut down again, following which, stricter guidelines were put in place.
Bangar on Sunday visited the dedicated Covid-19 hospital in Vashi and made changes to the standard treatment protocol after it was found that number of admitted critical patients was not declining.