Maha sees highest daily spike, tally nears 100k
ICUS AT PREMIUM More docs, beds for Mumbai; state demands trains for essential workers
nMUMBAI: For a second consecutive day, Maharashtra recorded its highest 24-hour jump in coronavirus cases with 3,607 more infections on Thursday, taking the tally to 97,648. The government said it is ready to tackle the surge anticipated after relaxing lockdown curbs.
The state announced the addition of doctors and beds in Mumbai, even as it pushed for slashing the restriction period for containment zones by half and reiterated its demand for resumption of local train services for essential services workers.
The state’s Covid-19 death toll also rose by 152 — 35 casualties in the past two days and the remaining in the past nine weeks — pushing the fatality count to 3,590. India’s worst-affected city, Mumbai, reported 1,418 new cases and 97 more deaths, pushing its tally and toll to 54,085 and 1,954 respectively.
State health minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday asked the Union health ministry to reduce the restriction period in containment zones from 28 days to 14 days. Tope made the request during a meeting with Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.
The state’s recovery rate is 47.2%, as 46,078 patients are reported to have recovered so far, with 1,561 patients discharged on Thursday. The recovery rate in the state was 26.25% on May 20, 29.06% on May 24, 31.26% on May 28 and improved to 43.38% on May 29. Tope described the current availability of ICU beds in Mumbai as “hand-to-mouth”.
However, he said the city will get 500 additional ICU beds by next week. The minister said the state and local administration in Mumbai is prepared to tackle a spike in cases. He said that beds in Covid Care Centres (CCC), Dedicated Covid Health Centres (DCHC) are available.
“We are prepared to tackle the situation even if there is a spike in the coming days following the lifting of curbs. The beds at CCC and DCHC, where there is an oxygen line with beds, are available. The current situation of ICU beds today is hand-to-mouth, but in the next eight days, an additional 500 ICU beds will be made operational in Mumbai,” Tope said.
The minister said the state government is getting more doctors to ensure there is no shortage of doctors in Mumbai . “We are getting around 200 to 300 doctors from other districts to serve in Mumbai. Our preparedness plan is in place. There will be no shortage of beds or doctors,” he said
The state, meanwhile, wants to reduce the period needed for restrictions in containment zones. Containment zones are areas where a significant number of cases have been detected, after which the authority puts movement restrictions in those areas and implements strict lockdown measures.
The area is declared free after there is no case reported in 28 days after the last case tests negative.
Heavy police deployment is made outside these areas to ensure the effective implementation of norms. As of June 9, Mumbai alone has 798 containment zones in the city. A statement from Tope said that the minister made a request to the Centre to take a re-look at the norms and halve it to reduce the strain on the police personnel deployed outside hot spots.
“All activities are restricted inside a containment zone until no cases are reported for 28 days. Heavy police deployment is done to ensure the implementation is carried and a large chunk of the police is deployed in these areas. The Centre should look at reducing these curbs from 28 days to 14 so that the police force can be rested and put on duty elsewhere. The Centre should issue guidelines on this,” the statement said.