Coronavirus outbreak: BMC can look after over 25,000 COVID-19 patients

As of now, only 27 per cent of its capacity is in use, but the civic body plans to expand further

As the number of COVID-19-positive patients crossed the 4,000 mark, the BMC is now ready with a support system of Corona Care Centres 1 and 2, with a capacity of 25,724 across the city. Out of these, 25 per cent facilities are occupied, and BMC officials are hopeful that it will reduce the burden on hospitals and allow symptomatic patients to access them.

The BMC has made arrangements to treat COVID-19 patients in Kasturba, Jogeshwari Trauma, Rajawadi hospitals and now, in Nair Hospital. There are also a few private hospitals on duty. But over the past 10 days, as the number of positive cases started increasing sharply, there has been a shortage of beds and many patients have had to wait for hours. There is a limitation on increasing the number of beds in a hospital, so, BMC has started increasing the number of beds in quarantine centres. The BMC renamed the quarantine centres as Corona Care Centres 1 and 2. High-risk contacts are shifted to CCC1 and positive, asymptomatic patients are shifted to CCC2.

"A total of 2,381 CCC facilities have been activated so far, which has the capacity to accommodate 16,790 patients. So far, 5,825 high-risk contacts from slums have been shifted to these centres. Besides this, the civic body has even made arrangements for asymptomatic patients. There are a total 79 CCC2 facilities, with an intake capacity of 8,934. So far, 1,171 positive asymptomatic cases have been shifted there," said Ashwini Bhide, additional municipal commissioner, focusing on containment zones and CCCs. The BMC can shift more than 7,500 positive asymptomatic patients to CCC2, provided they have been treated at hospitals for five days.

The civic body is also planning to convert large, open spaces, including JIO gardens in BKC and Wankhede Stadium into COVID-19 care centres and quarantine facilities, and increase the capacity of the existing quarantine centres at NESCO exhibition centre in Goregaon and NSCI in Worli. They have approached builders to construct toilets.

A senior civic official said, "We are already working on converting civic-run, aided and some private schools into quarantine centres. But we will need a higher capacity if the number of cases increase."

8,934
Number of patients CCC2 facilities can accommodate

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