Mumbai: Next week crucial to decipher the third wave of Covid-19, says Additional Municipal Commissioner

The man tasked with taming the third wave on the rapidly rising cases, when they are expected to come down, availability of hospital beds, manpower shortage and, most importantly, whether more restrictions are in the pipeline

Around 20,000 COVID-19 infections have been added daily to Mumbai’s official tally over the past four days, taking the active cases past 1 lakh. Though the BMC has been maintaining that the city has enough beds, Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani tells mid-day on Sunday that the coming week will be crucial to understand the curve of the third wave, and shares the corporation’s plans to deal with any adversity.
 
Mumbai has over 1 lakh active cases. Do you think it requires more beds if the cases keep increasing?
The next week would be crucial to decipher the curve of the current COVID-19 wave. As per the experts, Mumbai could reach a peak of around 35,000 new cases in the next week. So far, 90 per cent of the cases are asymptomatic and do not need hospitalisation. However, the situation would become tricky if the existing asymptomatic patients start showing symptoms in the coming days along with the emergence of new cases.

A cop asks visitors to leave the beach after 5 pm, as per the new guidelines. Pics/Shadab Khan

The Centre's latest guidelines ask for hospitalisation of only symptomatic patients with an oxygen level below 93 per cent or with serious comorbidity. Are these rules being applied in Mumbai?
The guidelines have been issued for the management of beds for needy patients, as there is a sharp increase in cases. Right now, the city has enough beds. Hardly 10 per cent of patients require hospital assistance, and 70 per cent of beds are unoccupied. If we start applying the new rules, it may trigger an unnecessary panic among citizens. As there are enough beds, we do not need to enforce the rules at the moment. 

Many healthcare workers and doctors are falling sick due to COVID-19. How are you tackling the issue of manpower crunch?
We had devised a plan assuming 10 per cent of our manpower wouldn't be available due to the infection. So that is not the issue. But a delay in admission under NEET-PG has affected us. The Supreme Court has now cleared new quotas, but it will take at least a month or two for new admissions. Till then, we have decided to enrol doctors as senior residents through walk-in interviews.

Mayor Kishori Pednekar, in PPE suit, speaks to a Covid patient, at BKC Jumbo Covid Care Centre, on Saturday. Pic/ANI

Do you think further restrictions will be required?
No, we don’t think further restrictions are required in Mumbai. Current regulations are enough, as the health infrastructure is ready. There aren’t many patients who require oxygen support. We are prepared for a three-fold capacity of oxygen supply if demand increases.
 
What happened to the BMC's plan for a serosurvey?
Yes, we had planned it in January. But, with the third wave hitting the city and people getting infected, the aim to find antibodies would not have been accomplished. So we postponed it. We may conduct it after the third wave has receded.
 
Do people require online registration for booster shots?
Around 1.82 lakh healthcare and frontline workers, and senior citizens are eligible for the booster shot. They can go to any of the 350-plus civic vaccination centres, and can choose either online or onsite registration.

10%
Percentage of patients who need hospitalisation at present

70%
Share of unoccupied Covid beds in the city

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