BMC to Prepare 1.5 Lakh COVID-19 Beds in Mumbai by Mid-June

As coronavirus cases continue to rise in Mumbai, BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has said that the city is preparing 1.5 lakh COVID-19 beds for mid-June. Chahal added that there was an aggressive approach now in “chasing the virus”, which could see the rise of more cases in the city.

Chahal also praised the city’s testing infrastructure with over 1.75 lakh people reportedly tested in the city so far. It is said that of all the tests conducted, there has been a positivity rate of 18 per cent. He said that the lockdown has given the BMC enough time to prepare for a time when restrictions are eased. The commissioner added that 15,800 of the active cases in the city are asymptomatic or showing mild symptoms.

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Chahal further mentioned that 3,700 doctors have joined active duty after the BMC’s request, and 570 of these doctors are reportedly willing to work in jumbo hospitals situated in BKC, MMRDA, the NSCI Dome in Worli, as well as Nesco in Goregaon.

State Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta, mentioned that things won’t be as bad as initially projected, saying that they were expecting 1.5 lakh cases by the end of May. He now says - “we won’t reach anywhere close to that number”.

“Nearly 66 lakh people or 6% of the state population has been screened by 16,000- plus squads”, Mehta said. He added that the doubling of cases has now gone up to 14-days.

Mumbai has currently recorded 32,974 coronavirus positive cases, whereas Maharashtra, on the whole, has reported 54,757 cases. The state has seen 1,792 deaths so far, which is by far the most COVID-19 deaths reported in a single state. Gujarat which has seen the demise of 888 citizens as of the most recent data trails Maharashtra in the charts.

Maharashtra recorded 97 deaths in a 24 hour period earlier this week, and the data published by the authorities mention that 85 of the 97 patients who died had co-morbidities which meant they were at the highest risk of dying from the virus as global health officials have maintained since the pandemic was declared.

39 of the deaths were recorded in Mumbai while there were 15 in Thane, 10 in Kalyan-Dombivli, 8 in Pune, 7 in Solapur, 5 each in Aurangabad, and Mira-Bhayandar, 3 each in Malegaon and Ulhasnagar, while Nagpur and Ratnagiri recorded 1 death each. Thane has recorded 122 new coronavirus cases which also includes two doctors. The region’s tally now stands at 2,294.