In the last three days, coronavirus recoveries in Mumbai have also outnumbered new cases

Mumbai:

The spread of coronavirus disease, which brought India’s financial capital to a standstill, seems to be slowing down offering hope that the damage can be contained with discipline and cooperation.

The daily growth in number of COVID cases in Mumbai has fallen to 2.43 per cent consistently for a week, which is lower than the national rate of 3.3 per cent. Mumbai’s daily growth rate was 2.7 per cent a week ago.

According to the public health department data of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, or the BMC, the rate at which cases are doubling also improved to 29 days, as on June 17, up from 20 days on June 3.

The doubling rate, or the rate at which number of cases double, is calculated over periods of three, five or seven days to observe the effect of containment measures adopted.

Out of the 24 wards in Mumbai, the most improvement was seen in Matunga area – part of F North ward – where doubling rate is 60 days, while in Dahisar area – part of R North ward – cases are doubling every 13 days.

The most heartening development, however, comes from Asia’s biggest slum – Dharavi – where the doubling rate is 46 days and, so far in June all of eight deaths have been registered compared to 50 deaths registered over the same period last month.

Dharavi is one of the 17,837 containment zones in Mumbai.

In the last three days, the number of coronavirus recoveries has also consistently outnumbered new cases.

However, the deaths in the city went up after government reconciled the hospital data. The total number of coronavirus related deaths now stands at 3,311.

“We did data reconciliation and after that the deaths, which had not been added earlier, have been added. The deaths were not hidden, but we have instructed all district collectors to ensure such lag in reporting does not happen in future,” Health Minister Rajesh Tope said.

Officials and frontline health workers, however, have warned that now would not be a good time for Mumbai to heave a sigh of relief as the monsoon has arrived and with rain would come many more diseases.