BMC keeps wards ready for Omicron patients

Beneficiaries wait at SevenHills Hospital in Andheri to get vaccinated against the novel Coronavirus, in May this year. File pic

In a bid to step up its precautionary measures against the new Coronavirus variant, Omicron, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to keep separate wards ready for patients who might get infected by the new strain. While a separate floor with 250 beds at SevenHills Hospital has been kept ready for the purpose, the civic body has also asked each of two private hospitals to keep 10 beds ready for Omicron patients.

Of the 4,845 passengers who arrived in Mumbai from ‘at high-risk' countries till December 6, 23 have tested positive. After their close contacts were tested, nine returned positive. Out of these, two - a passenger and his close contact - are infected with the Omicron variant.

A 37 year-old man, who had come from Johannesburg on November 25 and his 36-year-old friend, who came from the US on the same day tested positive for the new variant. Both are asymptomatic. None of their 314 close contacts, who were tested, have been found positive.

"Genome sequencing reports of 11 people are pending. Rest are negative, but as we haven't received the official report yet, we cannot send them home," said a BMC official. Though the civic body already has separate centres for Covid treatment, it has still decided to have separate wards for patients of the new variant.

"A separate floor with 250 beds at SevenHills Hospital has been kept ready for Omicron patients. We have also instructed each of Breach Candy and Bombay Hospital to keep 10 beds ready for patients of the new variant," said Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner of the BMC. He added that though cases weren't on the rise, they made the arrangements as a precautionary measure.