Mumbai: For 3rd day in a row, new COVID-19 cases cross 700-mark

Mumbai: For the third consecutive day, there were more than 700 new Covid cases reported in the city, at 763, increasing the total count to 10,68,008 cases so far. However, zero deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours. In the rest of Maharashtra too, there was a slight rise in new cases on Friday, with 1,134 new cases and three Covid deaths being reported in the last 24 hours, pushing the overall state tally to 78,90,346, with 1,47,864 fatalities till now. The rise in the daily caseload was the highest since February 24, when 1,182 cases were recorded and slightly more than the 1,045 cases (including one death) recorded on Thursday.

Active cases in the city rose to 3,735, compared to 3,324 just a day before. Active cases in Maharashtra crossed the 5,000-mark on Friday, touching 5,127, a rise of over 12 per cent from the day before.

Meanwhile, in view of the possible fourth wave warning sounded by medical experts and the possibility of water-borne diseases during monsoon, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has instructed that all the concerned departments should be prepared. He also added that Covid testing had to be ramped up five-fold, so that infections could be detected and curbed well in time. “Experts from IIT Kanpur have predicted that a fourth wave of Covid may hit in July 2022, and their warning must be taken seriously, since their predictions about the earlier Covid waves also proved to be true. Given the recent increase in the number of patients infected with the virus, the possibility of a fourth wave cannot be ruled out. Therefore, it is important to pay special attention to Covid-19 prevention measures. At the same time, the monsoon is about to begin and we need to be well-equipped to deal with the rainy season,” he said.

Currently, around 8,000 tests are being conducted per day, which will now have to be increased to 30,000-40,000 per day. The number of infected patients stands at 8 per cent and this rate is a warning sign. Increasing testing will make it easier to detect as many infections as possible.

“The number of tests should be increased immediately by the joint commissioners/ deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and medical health officers of all the wards, where more cases are detected. All those in contact with the infected should be traced and they too must be tested. Collective Covid tests of all residents in buildings/ housing societies where patients are found must be done. Also, the focus should be on making those buildings/ housing establishments infection-free as soon as possible,” Chahal instructed.

Meanwhile, all the jumbo Covid centres are advised to be fully equipped and have adequate manpower reserves. In particular, intensive care beds and the necessary medical facilities for the same should be made available, so that there is no problem in case the number of patients increases. Structural stability inspection of all jumbo centres should be carried out to ensure to rule out monsoon mishaps. The structural stability certificate should be obtained following due procedure.

“All the major BMC hospitals should be equipped to admit and treat an increased number of patients. All private hospitals should also be instructed to be fully equipped at their respective levels. All the hospitals should purchase and make available the required stock of medicines through the Central Purchase Department. Genome sequencing should be done regularly so that any new variant of the virus can be detected in time,” Chahal concluded.