Dadar, Bandra among places where cases have more than doubled in just a few days, while many other areas have recorded a 50 per cent jump
People wait for a train at Dadar on Tuesday. Pic/Sameer Markande
Behind the glee on the faces of Mumbaikars who have been crowding markets, open spaces and stations, a grim picture is developing. Active Covid cases in Dadar, Byculla and Bandra have more than doubled in the past few weeks, while Parel, Worli, Lalbaug, Wadala, Sion, Andheri, Dahisar and Mulund have reported an over 50 per cent rise in new infections, said civic officials.
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After recording a welcome drop for several weeks, cases have started rising in nine wards between August 16 and September 6. G-north which comprises Dadar, Mahim and Dharavi, tops the list. Here, active cases have raced from 82 to 236. There are only 13 active cases in Dharavi, but Dadar and Mahim have 92 and 131 respectively, with high-rises reporting a sharp growth.
A health worker collects a swab sample of a train passenger at Dadar. Pic/Ashish Raje
“This is the result of aggressive testing at crowded places and buildings where more cases are detected. But there is minimal hospitalisation and even the death rate is very low,” said Kiran Dighavkar, assistant commissioner of G-North ward. The average citywide growth in Covid cases since August 16 stands at 37 per cent.
In E ward, which covers Byculla, after a cluster of cases was reported at an orphanage, other parts of the area have also seen a spurt in infections. The ward which had 67 active cases at the lowest point of the second wave on August 16, now has 171 cases, which is a rise of 155 per cent.
“We have increased testing in our ward to ensure detection. More than 1,000 tests have been conducted by our ward along with RT-PCR tests at private labs,” said Manish Valanju, assistant commissioner of E ward.
Similarly, Parel, Worli, Bandra, Dahisar that had less than 100 active cases three weeks ago now have reported infections in four digits. T ward (Mulund) is also witnessing a growth in cases.
K-West, which covers Andheri West, which has been known for reporting the highest number of active cases since the beginning of the pandemic, continues to stick to its dubious distinction. It has 285 active cases, the most among all 24 wards of Mumbai.
Train travellers wait to get their RAT test done at LTT, Kurla, on Tuesday. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
H-West, comprising Bandra West and Santacruz West, also has 200 active cases along with R-Central (Borivli) and R-South (Kandivali).
There are 49 sealed buildings in the city of which H-West and F-South have 9 buildings each. K-West has 8 sealed buildings. Not a single slum pocket has been declared a containment zone as less than 5 per cent of all cases are coming from these areas.
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