One year of lockdown: We learned principles of control, says BMC health officer on fighting COVID-19 in Mumbai

Dr. Daksha Shah, deputy executive health officer of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)

The year 2020 will go down in history as the year in which Mumbai, the city that never sleeps, came to a sudden jolting halt. The stations were empty, so were the roads and beaches. Some of the busiest workers, like the dabbawallahs, autowallahs, etc. struggled to survive in the city known to fend for all.

The health workers, sanitation workers, municipal staff, and policemen stood on the frontlines and guarded the city like an army. As we inch closer to the first anniversary of lockdown in Maharashtra on March 22, mid-day online spoke to Dr. Daksha Shah, deputy executive health officer of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) about her experiences of defending Mumbai in the face of a pandemic.

‘My job was to ensure right information reaches citizens'

A visual from Juhu Beach | Pic: Satej Shinde

Dr. Shah had the crucial responsibility of disseminating information, releasing reports, addressing social media queries and taking grievance calls from citizens. She says, "It was important to verify the facts with hospitals and deans that was going to be broadcast in the media because citizens were shrouded in fear and any piece of wrong information could have worsened the situation."

"My responsibility was to fact-check and make sure that misinformation is not being spread," she adds. "I coordinated with various teams and media agencies to make sure that the reports and press notes being sent out have the right data and information. I also addressed queries from media professionals seeking to confirm their own research."

In addition, she also worked to execute sero-surveys, home isolation programmes, coordinated with central and state govternments and drafted guidelines for travellers.

‘I got direct calls from citizens'

Dr. Shah reveals that in the month of May when the coronavirus cases were at the peak in Mumbai, she would get direct calls from citizens seeking help. She says, "Citizens who were not getting beds or ambulances and were sitting in front of hospitals would call me and seek help. The disaster management team too would get such calls and it was a big challenge to make sure that resources and treatment were made available."

The other big challenge, she says, was to look out for comorbid citizens. She says, "I still remember receiving a call at 2 am from a woman whose mother was a heart patient and it was an emergency. However, she was not able to secure a bed for her as the hospitals refused to admit her even though she was not a coronavirus patient. Here, I had to intervene, speak to the doctor of the particular hospital and arrange a bed."

"Back then, even the hospitals were wary of admitting comorbid patients as the suspicion of an infectious patient always prevailed," she adds.

‘We learned principles of control'

Swab sample being taken by a health worker | Pic: Satej Shinde

Talking about the challenges of containing infection in a populous country like India, Dr Shah says, "We knew that if the infection spreads here in India, like how it did in China and the European countries, it would be difficult to tackle. Considering our living conditions, we were stressed about the virus spreading in Mumbai. However, we identified ways of containment on time. We also learned the principles of control like identifying the source of infection, tracking the contacts, ensuring their isolation and quarantine, etc. We also learned quick response."

She adds that it was a team effort. "Different teams were formed at the ward level who worked very hard to execute treatment activities like house-to-house survey, contact tracking, setting up of camps, mobile vans, and quarantine centres."

She further adds, "We have learned how to protect citizens and look out for the vulnerable population as we know that a large chunk of death toll comprises of senior citizens with comorbidities."

‘COVID-appropriate behaviour is crucial'

"Even if you have got yourself vaccinated, you have to follow the safety norms," says Dr. Shah. She goes on, "There is still a chunk of the population that is vulnerable. We are rolling out the vaccine in phases and even then antibody development might take time. Therefore, it is important to consistently abide by the norms and accept the new normal."

‘We will add more vaccination centres and resources'

Senior citizens at vaccination centre | Pic: Satej Shinde

Upon asking how does the BMC plan to vaccinate the general public and what are the perceived challenges, Dr. Shah says, "A plan will be put in place after we are done vaccinating senior citizens." She adds, "While a list of guidelines is yet to be curated, the plan to vaccinate the masses would not be very different from what we have right now i.e. setting up vaccination centres at BMC hospitals and a cluster of private hospitals were included in the programme."

"Right now, we have around 77 centres vaccinating senior citizens. In the future when the demand rises we will add more centres and more resources to carry out vaccination," she adds.

"We are utilising our resources to the fullest, for example, the JUMBO facilities are working on max capacity, and several private hospitals are working 24/7 to ensure the programme is executed smoothly. Similarly, when the guidelines to vaccinate the masses are formed we will remain prepared. It will be a big challenge but we will navigate through it like we have done so far."