Covid testing in progress at a civic-run clinic in Mumbai. (Express photo: Amit Chakravarty)With 117 new Covid infections being recorded in Mumbai on Wednesday, the number of daily cases in the city continued to remain above 100. The city’s test positivity rate (TPR) — the number of positive cases detected when compared to the total tests conducted – is 1.6 per cent.
Following the third wave, on February 12, the TPR had gone below 1 per cent.
The city is witnessing a small rise in cases as 100 cases were detected on Tuesday, after just 56 cases being recorded on Monday, due to a drop in testing numbers.
Currently, the number of daily tests being conducted in Mumbai is below 10,000. On Wednesday, for example, 7,035 tests were conducted. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC’s) testing figures have remained below 10,000, with an exception on April 24, when 10,946 tests were conducted. The lowest number of tests, 4,243, were conducted on May 2. To increase testing, the civic body has directed general practitioners to recommend testing to any person who complains of influenza-like symptoms.
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Post the rise in cases since mid-April, the civic body has asked officials to remain vigilant, increase testing, strengthen contact tracing and improve booster vaccination coverage. The BMC has also instructed ward officers to contact-trace at least 10-15 individuals per infected person. In the last 24 hours, however, only 395 high-risk contacts were traced.
The state health department has already alerted Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that vaccination needs to be promoted and has highlighted that the state is falling behind the national average in all categories.
The latest data from the state health department shows that 90 per cent of the eligible population (12+) in the state has received both doses, while 77 per cent has received at least a single shot. However, the state’s booster coverage and paediatric vaccination are lower than the national average. While only 35 per cent of the elderly population has taken the booster dose (41.6 per cent, nationally), only 51 per cent children in the 12-14 age group have taken their first dose (58 per cent, nationally).
Mumbai continues to be the worst performer in vaccination of teenagers among the 35 districts in Maharashtra, reveals the state data. Only 25 per cent of the estimated population of 4 lakh children in the 12-14 age group have taken the first shot of the vaccine.
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