Our focus on testing, tracing and treatment to continue: BMC

Passengers screened at Borivli station on Thursday. Pics/Satej Shinde

AMID fears of a resurgence of COVID-19 cases due to migrants returning from their hometowns and after the festival season, cases continue to remain low and the test positivity rate (TPR), too, has gone down after Diwali. Even as the discussion on vaccines intensifies, the BMC is going to reduce neither testing nor the number of COVID hospitals and centres, amid the fear of the second wave in January-February.

Apart from testing arriving passengers, various multi-level steps have helped control the numbers.

After reaching a peak in mid-September, COVID-19 cases in the city started decreasing. From 34,000 active cases on September 18, the number came down to 8,500 on November 19. Amid increased tests, the number of active cases for the past 10 days has been between 12,000 and 13,000. Between November 18 and December 8, on an average, 15,373 tests were carried out daily and the average number of positive cases is 780. The TPR is 5 per cent. Out of the 323 deaths in this period, 90 per cent are of people aged above 50 years.

All support systems active

All support systems, including hospitals, jumbo centres and COVID care centres, are running in a manner to be ready for the highest number of patients witnessed on September 18.

Out of 16,593 beds reserved for COVID patients, 11,700 are available, 411 ventilators are available. The BMC has 13,583 beds for quarantine and 3,100 beds for asymptomatic patients. There are also 3,928 quarantine beds and 2,439 beds for asymptomatic patients as a buffer that can be opened for operations within two days. Another additional 285 CCC1 and 143 CCC2 can be opened within a week.

Also Read: COVID-19: No sharp spike in cases in Navi Mumbai, Panvel

"While the number has been not increasing, the pandemic is still here and we cannot take a risk. Testing, tracing, treatment is the key to fight COVID-19 till a vaccine comes to the city," said a BMC officer.

"The BMC has been working on multiple levels to report and trace COVID cases through screening on railway stations and the airport, survey of hawkers, shopkeepers, conductors, keeping an eye on homes located close together, etc. This has contributed to keeping the situation under control. The second wave may or may not come, but we cannot compromise on tracing and treatment," said Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner, BMC.

COVID numbers
No. of positive cases: 16,366
Average daily tests: 15, 373
No. of deaths: 323

(From Nov 18 to Dec 8)

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