A year since nationwide lockdown, Mumbai records highest single day rise in cases

Mumbai recorded 5,185 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest single-day rise since the oubtreak of the pandemic last year. The rise has been attributed to increased testing with the civic body conducting daily Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) at all malls, bus depots, railway stations as well as its 24 administrative wards.

March 24 marks a year to the day year since the nationwide lockdown was announced. Before the lockdown, Mumbai had recorded only 58 positive Covid 19 cases and registered four deaths, while 1,304 residents were under observation as suspected cases, 1,124 had been discharged and 418 international travellers were under quarantine.

For the last three days, Mumbai recorded more than 3,000 new cases daily. Until Wednesday, the last highest count was recorded on Sunday, when 3,775 cases were recorded in a day.

Since February, the number of Covid-19 deaths every day has dropped to single digits. Six deaths due to Covid-19 were recorded on Wednesday, of which five patients were above 60 years of age. The recovery rate dropped to 90 per cent on Wednesday as opposed to 91 per cent, last week.

Of the top 10 districts in the country that have the highest number of active Covid-19 cases at present, nine are in Maharashtra – Pune, Nagpur, Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nanded, Jalgaon and Akola, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday. Across the country, Mumbai has the third-highest number of active Covid 19 cases.

The total number of Covid cases in Mumbai is 3.74 lakh, of which 30,760 are active cases. In 24 hours, the number of active cases has risen by 3,088. In the last 24 hours, 40,400 Covid-19 tests were conducted as opposed to an average of 20,000 daily. The positivity rate has jumped from 5.2 per cent to 14 per cent in 23 days.

Despite the surge in the number of daily cases, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has not recommended a lockdown. Instead, the municipal commissioner has instructed private hospitals to increase the number of beds.

Officials expect cases to rise further in the coming days. In the last two days, beds at dedicated Covid healthcare centres and hospitals for serious, moderate and complicated cases and at jumbo facilities were increased by 389. Currently, there are 13,083 beds at jumbo facilities, dedicated Covid healthcare centres and hospitals, of which over 50 per cent are occupied. At least 65 per cent of ICU beds are occupied, whereas only 281 of 978 ventilator beds are available.

According to data from the BMC’s Covid-19 dashboard, 144 Covid Care Centres with 18,344-bed capacity are reserved and can be activated as need arises.

More than 80 per cent of patients are asymptomatic and have been asked to remain in home- or institution-quarantine, said a civic official. As of Tuesday, 5,896 floors and 432 buildings in the city were sealed. As per current rules, the BMC seals a building if there are five or more positive cases. At least 39 chawls/slums have been designated containment zones.