Mumbai adds 1,312 new coronavirus cases, 10 deaths; positivity rate increases to 4.47%

Mumbai: Mumbai on Friday reported 1,312 new coronavirus infections and ten fatalities, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a release. It took the caseload in the country’s financial capital to 10,43,059, and toll to 16,591. New cases declined for the tenth straight day. On Thursday, 1,384 new COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths had been reported in Mumbai. Also, the Dharavi area, one of the largest slum sprawls in Asia, recorded zero new cases on Friday after a gap of over a month, officials said. The city’s positivity rate, however, increased to 4.47 per cent from 3.32 per cent the day before. Decrease in the number of tests was the reason for rise in the positivity rate, BMC officials claimed. Only 27,720 COVID-19 tests were carried out on Friday against 42,570 the previous day. The tally of tests conducted so far is 1,51,58,551. With 4,990 patients discharged on Friday, the number of recoveries rose to 10,09,374. The city’s rate of recovery is 97 per cent, the BMC said. The caseload doubling rate has improved to 259 days, while the overall growth rate of cases for the period between 21 to 27 January was 0.27 per cent. Mumbai has 14,344 active COVID-19 patients now. Around 84 per cent or 1,089 out of 1,312 new patients were asymptomatic. Since previous evening, 293 patients were hospitalised and 68 of them were put on oxygen support. Also, only 2,652 of the total 37,575 hospital beds reserved for coronavirus patients are occupied at present. The BMC has sealed 20 buildings for high number of active patients on the premises. There are no containment zone in slums and chawls now.