Mumbai on Friday recorded 90 more COVID-19 fatalities, its second-highest single-day jump, taking the death toll to 2,044. On a day when Maharashtra crossed one lakh cases, Mumbai recorded 1,366 more cases, pushing its tally to 55,451.
The spike in death toll follows two consecutive days of the highest jump of 97 deaths each. While civic health officials said some of these deaths were from previous weeks, the numbers point to the grim reality of an increased mortality rate. At present, 953 patients remain in critical condition.
Of the latest victims, 65 were men and 25 were women. In all, 65 patients had co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension and asthma.
On Friday, nearly 943 patients were discharged. Till now, 25,152 patients have recovered and gone home from public and private hospitals and COVID-19 care centres. “The increasing recoveries are a result of a focus on surveillance, timely case identification and proper clinical management of patients,” said Dr. Rohinton Dastur, medical director of Bhatia Hospital, which has discharged 200 of the 281 patients admitted there so far.
Dharavi crossed the 2,000-case mark on Friday, reporting 29 new cases. The total number of cases here is now 2013. Of these, however, only 941 cases are active. The area also recorded two more deaths, pushing the toll to 77.
Six city wards now have more than 3,000 cases each, with the addition of E (Byculla), F North (Matunga, Wadala) and K West (Andheri West) wards to this list.
The city’s average case growth rate now stands at 2.76%, with cases in R North ward(Dahisar) growing the fastest at 6.1%.
Cancer patients on mend
At the COVID-19 care centre in NSCI, Worli, 126 cancer patients have overcome the virus and have been discharged, while 52 patients continue to remain under observation. The youngest of these patients was two years old, while the oldest 74. While most of these patients are from out of Mumbai, a foreign national seeking cancer treatment at the Tata Memorial Hospital was also brought to NSCI after he tested positive for COVID-19.
Cancer patients who contract the infection are at extremely high risk as they are immunocompromised. But civic officials said no mortality was reported in cancer patients admitted to the NSCI.
Info on crematoriums
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is now planning to display information related to crematoriums on its COVID-19 dashboard. The city has 237 electric and non-electric crematoriums that can dispose of 1,458 bodies in 24 hours. The BMC will upload the information of these facilities on its dashboard so that kin of the deceased can call the disaster management helpline (1916) to check availability. This will ensure families don’t have to wait outside crematoriums.
Spike in Navi Mumbai
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) on Friday reported 129 new cases, taking its tally to 3,543 cases. With two more deaths, its toll is now 109. Of Friday’s cases, 76 are men and 53 women. Koparkhairane reported 33 of the cases, followed by Turbhe with 22 and Ghansoli with 19 cases. With 126 patients discharged, the total recoveries no stand at 2,124. Currently, the NMMC has 1,310 active cases.
Thirty new cases have taken the tally under the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) to 891. With one fatality, its death toll has risen to 37, while 20 recoveries have taken the total number of recoveries to 616. The PMC has 238 active cases. Four more people tested positive in the Panvel rural limits, taking the total to 271, while two more deaths took its toll to 11. Another 12 people were discharged, taking the total recoveries to 210. Fifty cases are currently active in rural Panvel.
(With inputs from Raina Assainar)
