Mumbai on Sunday recorded 3,775 Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day rise in its total cases since the pandemic hit the state in March last year. With 3,063 cases, the last highest count was recorded on Friday.
The total number of Covid cases in Mumbai is 3.62 lakh now, of which, 23,448 are active. In the past 24 hours, the number of active cases has risen by 2,113. In the first 21 days of March, the daily caseload in the city has increased by 2.41 times.
However, as opposed to over 40 deaths a day in October last year, the daily death rate due to the virus has dropped to single digits since February this year. On Sunday, 10 deaths were recorded, of which, nine patients aged above 60 years. The recovery rate has also improved to 91 per cent on Sunday as opposed to 86 per cent in October.
On Friday, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal directed ward officers to double daily Covid tests from 25,000 to 50,000 in two days and vaccinate at least 1 lakh beneficiaries per day, up from the current coverage of 40,000. In the past 24 hours, 24,220 Covid tests were recorded. Positivity rate has jumped from 5.2 to 16 per cent in 20 days.
Chahal also took a call to increase 2,400 beds in private hospitals as hospitalisations have increased. Officials expect cases to surge further and cross 5,000 in the coming days. Currently, there are 12,694 beds at jumbo facilities, dedicated Covid health care centres and hospitals for serious, moderate and complicated cases. Over 50 per cent of these facilities are occupied. Sixty-one per cent of 1,539 ICU beds are currently occupied. Of 966 ventilator beds, 309 are available.
The BMC directed private and government hospitals to stop admitting asymptomatic patients and admit only those referred from the BMC war room unless it is an emergency Covid-19 case. Asymptomatic patients in residential buildings will have to opt for home isolation, while asymptomatic or mildly ill cases from slums and chawls will be moved to the CCC. At present, of 23, 806 CCC beds, 820 are occupied.
