Two wards under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) wards M West and L are currently reporting an increase in COVID-19 cases. Keeping this in mind, officials from both wards have come together to comb households in their periphery for people with symptoms of the coronavirus.
Around 5,500 homes situated within the L ward’s Nehru Nagar and M West’s Tilak Nagar have been reportedly screened for the virus so far.
This comes as border regions of the two wards are showing an increase in infections. Authorities usually conduct home screenings for diseases like malaria and dengue, but a similar approach is now being tried for COVID-19 to mitigate infection rates. It’s worth pointing out that the M West ward currently has the highest weekly COVID-19 growth rate in Mumbai.
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However, of the 5,500 homes screened by the two wards, the teams could only send 24 reports for testing, with 50 per cent of them referred to receive treatment via local dispensaries as they didn’t require hospitalization.
Some of the field staff engaged in the home screening drive have faced resistance from people. It is reported that some citizens refused to get tested. The issue was said to be prominent in Kurla where officials found that people living in sealed buildings or floors were violating protocol and going about their daily routine including going out to work.
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Medical Officer of Health (MOH) of the L Ward, Dr Jeetendra Jadhav said - “High-risk contacts of positive patients are getting tested willingly. But those with mild symptoms are unwilling to get tested.” He added that around 60 per cent of the quarantine violations were detected in sealed floors of high-rises or residential complexes.
Some people from the M Ward’s Tilak Nagar also showed resistance to being tested. Cases in the region have doubled from 15 to 30 over the past 10 days or so, leading officials to screen as many homes as possible.
Also read - Mumbai COVID-19 Cases On A Rise; No Fresh Lockdown As Of Now
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