Five more persons tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Mumbai on Thursday, while one patient died taking the total number of deaths in the city due to the deadly virus to four.
Dr Daksha Shah, deputy director, health department at BMC, said the Kasturba hospital was discharging eight patients after two consecutive tests of their samples came out negative. So, out of total 12 who tested negative, eight were being discharged. This, said Dr. Shah, was positive news that suggests that "one need not get scared of the coronavirus because the patients are getting better and are getting discharged."
Shah also said that the laboratory testing facilities from home have started and there are five laboratories that have joined in this endeavour. As per the government of India guidelines, all labs are ICMR approved and she requested physicians who have serious pneumonia patients or those suffering from respiratory disorders to avail the facilities from the five laboratories.
The MCGM team of doctors are actively calling on all those who are home quarantined. In the last 24 hours, she said, her team had connected with 1,200 such individuals who have been home quarantined. Of those 1200, Shah said the team found about seven individuals to be symptomatic. They will get tested at home so as to prevent them from travelling and transmitting the virus and their samples will be sent to the labs for testing.
Dr Daksha said that the team was also planning on activating a live helpline where citizens can call and if they have symptoms, have traveled abroad, are home quarantined, or come in contact with any international traveler and feel that they have symptoms and get tested, they can avail of the services by paying an upfront amount of Rs 4500 which is the cost of the kit as approved by the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research). Testing facilities are now getting better in the municipal region of Mumbai and anyone who feels the need to get tested for mild symptoms can do so.
As of today, the total number of OPD patients are 841 while 94 are suspected patients who have been admitted. Total number of COVID-19 positive patients are five of whom one patient, a 65-year-old man who was brought to Kasturba hospital with fever, cough and breathlessness on March 23, has died. He was suffering from hypertension and uncontrolled diabetes with a travel history to UAE. A resident of Dubai, he had arrived in Ahmedabad on March 15 and in Mumbai on March 20. He was serious and died late evening on March 23.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thckeray on March 24 confirmed that his appeal to the Central government for the postponement of Income Tax filing date beyond 31st March has been approved.