Mumbai sees 1,098 new cases; death toll is 3,737 – The Hindu

Mumbai recorded 1,098 more cases of COVID-19 on Monday, pushing its tally to 67,586 cases. The city also recorded 66 fatalities, taking its death toll to 3,737.

Civic health officials said only 20 deaths were reported in a span of 24 hours, while the rest had occurred before June 19. At least 40 of these patients had co-morbid conditions.

‘Sitting on a plateau’

Officials said the number of positive cases had also stabilised considerably. In a Facebook post, Manisha Mhaiskar, principal secretary on special deputation to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), wrote that the city was sitting on a plateau in June.

“Daily positives are steady between 1000-1200, admissions have stabilised, there are vacant beds even in KEM, there is no longer the pressure to commission a ward every alternate day. And this is even after 2 full weeks of unlock down in form of Mission Begin Again. Chase the virus is working (sic),” she said.

According to civic officials, while the doubling rate of the city had improved to 37 days, some areas were recording more cases.

“Keeping this in mind, BMC has decided to implement a rapid action plan in areas like Mulund, Bhandup, Andheri, Malad, Borivali, Dahisar and Kandivali. With the aim to bring down the number of positive cases in the city to zero, ‘Mission Zero’ has been launched today [June 22] at Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex in Andheri,” the BMC said in a media statement.

“The ambitious project will comprise 50 mobile dispensary vans going to different areas to conduct preliminary check-ups and identify patients. With the onset of monsoon, the plan is particularly critical for timely detection and treatment of patients with COVID-19 and other ailments. All suspected patients will be immediately isolated and swab tests will be conducted. This will lead to early detection and timely treatment of those infected. At the same time, public awareness will also be created,” the civic body said.