While daily rise in test positivity rate and active cases worries officials, they also look to boost bed capacity in anticipation of further uptick
BMC converted the NESCO exhibition hall at Goregaon into a COVID Care Centre. File pic
With both the city’s COVID test positivity rate (TPR) and active cases gradually increasing, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started checking and upgrading its COVID care facilities and dedicated hospitals following a review of the situation. While the civic body is expecting the Kanjurmarg jumbo centre to be handed over to them by next month, it said that it could also immediately activate over 30,000 beds if needed.
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However, the bed capacity of COVID Care Centres (CCC) needs to be augmented and buffer beds should be added in E and H West wards, as more than 60 per cent of the active beds are full in these wards. From 2,900 active cases on August 13, the figure has gone up to 4,600 as on Tuesday.
The jumbo COVID centre at Malad West. File Pic
Less beds in some wards
As per BMC’s COVID dashboard, many asymptomatic positive patients are admitted in various institutional quarantine centres of the civic body.
While more than 22,000 beds are vacant across the city, in E ward more than 55 per cent of the available beds are full. Out of the 508 active beds in the ward, 270 are occupied.
Similarly, in H West ward just about 11 per cent of the total 387 beds is vacant.
Even in R South ward, 49 per cent of the 390 active beds is occupied, whereas in R Central ward, 52 per cent of the total 250 active beds is occupied.
Wait-and-watch situation
Requesting anonimity, a senior civic official told mid-day, “We are not likely to add more beds as only 10 per cent of our combined facilities is occupied, but if specific wards need attention, we will take decisions accordingly.
We will soon include our Kanjurmarg jumbo centre to the list of COVID facilities. It is a wait-and-watch situation because many people are out of town and once they return we will be able to gauge the situation based on an increased number of tests.”
55
Percentage of available beds occupied in E Ward
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