(G.N.S) Dt. 26
Mumbai
Maharashtra witnessed 60 fatalities, pushing up the toll to 1,695. With 38 of these recorded in Mumbai, the city crossed the 1,000 deaths-mark. While Mumbai’s Covid-19 toll rose to 1,026, the number of cases in Mumbai increased by 1,430 to 31,972.
In other parts of the state, Pune recorded 244 fresh cases, while Thane 149 new cases on Monday, taking their virus count up to 5,319 and 2,739 respectively.
Mumbai, which accounts for 60% of the state’s coronavirus cases, is already staring at a shortage of hospital beds and intensive care unit (ICU) facilities.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Monday outlined the plan to increase beds in Mumbai by creating “jumbo facilities”. The CMO said a centralised dashboard has been created to track the availability of beds and its location in real-time. With increased capacity and real-time tracking of beds, patients will not have to spend crucial hours waiting for availability of beds.
Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, in his address to the state on Sunday, said the government is anticipating a spike in cases by month-end. As a part of their preparations for the surge in Mumbai, a field hospital at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) with 1,000 beds, including 200 ICU beds, has been readied in a fortnight. Additionally, a Covid Care Centre (CCC) with 600 beds at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, which will have 125 ICU beds, is being erected for patients with mild infections. Nesco Exhibition Centre in Goregaon will have 535 beds.
