Dharavi woman who died may have had high-risk contacts

Pic/ Pradeep Dhivar

Civic officials recorded four new cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) from Dharavi on Thursday, taking the total in the area to 17. One of them died at KEM Hospital.

The state health department officials recorded 162 new cases from Mumbai, the highest ever reported in a single day, and with 25 casualties, Maharashtra recorded the highest number of deaths till date.

Civic officials said the deceased woman, who was a resident of Kalyanwadi in Dharavi, is likely to have many high risk contacts.

"Her husband passed away on April 3. Many people from the area attended the funeral, making them all high risk contacts. We are tracing them all," said Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner of G North ward.

Her husband was not COVID-19 positive, he added.

Three others in Dharavi who tested positive include a 58-year-old man, a 30-year-old man and a 55-year-old man. Dighavkar said residents of the slum areas in Dharavi will be screened.

"We are forming a team of doctors and coordinators to start door-to-door screening in highly affected areas. Also, since grocery shops and vegetable stalls have
been closed, we are planning to purchase the food supplies and set up a distribution system for the slum areas," he said.

Civic officials are working with the police for this, he added.

In the state, a total of 25 deaths were reported on Thursday, including nine from Mumbai 14 from Pune and one each from Malegaon and Ratnagiri.

Among the nine deceased in Mumbai, was a 101-year-old woman who died at Braham Sabha Hospital in Girgaon on April 6. She had a history of hypertension. Two others were also senior citizens and all the nine patients had other ailments. While eight of them died between April 4-8, a 62-year-old man died at Kasturba Hospital on Thursday, eight days after he was admitted.

Number of cases in the state rose to 1,364 with state health officials recording 229 new cases on Thursday, and the overall death toll in Maharashtra stood at 97. Till date, 125 patients have been discharged after recovery.

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