MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has decided to aggressively evacuate suspected coronavirus patients from Dharavi and other hotspots and put them in institutional quarantine, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday.
The densely populated Dharavi slum area here has reported close to 190 cases of coronavirus infection so far.
“Houses in Dharavi are very small and 10-12 people live in a house. Even if we advise home quarantine, the shortage of space defeats the purpose,” he said.
The people who were in close contact with a COVID-19 patient would be evacuated so that further spread of the infection is stopped, Tope said.
“We have discussed the issue with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Mumbai municipal commissioner Pravin Pardeshi. We have agreed that home quarantine would not be helpful in Dharavi area where space shortage is a major challenge,” he said.
Grounds of schools can be used for institutional quarantine shelters and authorities have already started working on arranging artificial oxygen supply in such places, Tope said.
“We can easily quarantine as many as 73,000 people. The total capacity of the state for isolation is around 1.55 lakh beds,” the health minister said.
The “death percentage” among COVID-19 patients has now come down from seven to five which was a good sign, he added.
“Daily 13 per cent of people are getting better in Maharashtra alone. The state has so far carried out more than 90,000 tests to detect coronavirus infection. Today we performed as many as 7,112 tests.”
“Still, we have decided to increase testing further for early detection,” he said.
“Photo booths” for sample collection are operational in Kasturba Hospital and similar booths will be set up in other places, he said.
With these booths, the person collecting swab samples does not need to wear PPE kit, he said.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has allowed Maharashtra to administer plasma therapy to COVID-19 patients in Mumbai on an experimental basis, Tope said.
He also debunked a mathematical model which has predicted that the number of coronavirus patients in the state would rise to 42,000 by April 30 from over 5,600 now.
“The plasma (a component of blood) of those who have recovered from coronavirus infection has some antibodies. If these people’s plasma is used with utmost precaution, it has proven to be useful,” he said.
Maharashtra had applied to the ICMR, seeking permission to try out the therapy.
“We have received permission from ICMR to carry out plasma therapy on an experimental basis,” Tope said.
On the mathematical model which predicts 42,000 cases in the state by April end, the minister said, “The model is based on some scientific ground but it has taken the state’s doubling rate of COVID-19 cases at 3.8.
“In fact, the rate is seven today. The model also assumes that the current situation would remain constant, which is again not correct. The number of infection hotspots in the state has come down from 14 to five,” the health minister said.
The mortality rate is also falling, so people should ignore this model and not panic, Tope added.