MUMBAI: After the major rise in Covid 19 positive cases in Mumbai, the local body — the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to increase the testing to 30,000 to 40,000 per day against the present 8000 testing to detect the virus at an early stage and start the treatment as well.
The BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal called the review meeting on Friday where he issued directives to his health department to focus on testing, contact tracing, and vaccinations. The meeting was also attended by state government-appointed health task force chief Dr Sanjay Oak. He said apart from Covid 19 rise, and onset of monsoon, the water-borne diseases will also increase therefore the health department should be more vigilant and alert.
Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said there is a prediction that the fourth wave of Covid will hit by July 2022. He said the health experts' warning must be taken seriously. “The reason the predictions about the previous Covid 19 waves had also come true. Given the recent increase in the number of patients infected with the covid virus, the possibility of a fourth wave cannot be ruled out. Therefore, it is important to pay special attention to the Covid prevention measures. At the same time, the monsoon is about to begin and it needs to be well-equipped to deal with the rainy season.”
He said the number of covid tests currently taking place in Mumbai metropolis is 8000 per day and it is necessary to increase it to 30,000 to 40,000 per day. “At present, the number of infected patients has reached 8% and this rate is a warning sign. Increasing the number of tests will make it easier to detect as many infections as possible, thus preventing infection. The number of tests should be increased immediately by the Joint Commissioner / Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, and Medical Health Officer of all the circles where covid is found to be infected. All the citizens in contact with the affected patients should be traced and their covid test should be done,” Chahal informed in a meeting.
The BMC chief said the mass covid test of all the residents in the buildings and housing societies where significant numbers of Covid 19 positive cases are reported. He said the focus should be on making those buildings and housing establishments infection-free as soon as possible.