[Exclusive] As Mumbai cases rise, BMC commissioner says low mortality rates show virus has lost its sting – Times Now

Mumbai: Daily Covid 19 cases in Mumbai have been consistently rising touching as close to 7,000 per day last week. As a precaution, night curfew has been imposed in the city and state of Maharashtra. As an additional precaution, the municipal corporation in Mumbai has directed that no bets will be allotted to Covid patients directly by private hospitals, and nor will those testing positive be given reports directly by the labs. Hospital beds will be allotted centrally by the BMC to patients who require it. The number of vacant beds will be increased to 7,000 by the end of the week.   

“There is not much pressure on hospitals because nearly 70,000 of the 85,000 cases in Mumbai since February 10, 2020, have been asymptomatic done need medication and secondly mortality is one of the lowest in the world,” says Chahal even as he reassures that the Mumbai second wave should ease off in the next three to four weeks.      

Mumbai has seen 85,000 Covid cases since February 10, 2020. Of thee, 69,500 have been asymptomatic while 259 deaths have taken place. The mortality rate at 0.2% is one of the lowest in the world, says Chahal.          

The rate of deaths from Covid-19 has also dramatically lowered from last year. While Mumbai clocked 60-70 deaths per day when daily cases reached 1,000 last year, this year 7 deaths were recorded even when daily cases touched 7,000. This is a trend that doctors are also reporting, putting down lower mortality rates to a learned experience of how to tackle Covid-19 positive patients displaying that the virus has possibly lost its sting.

“As long as the pressure on hospitals are under control and supply of beds for patients and as long as mortality under total control there is no need to panic”, says Chahal.