Mumbai records 218 fresh COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours; 11 more test positive in Dharavi

Mumbai: Eleven more people, including two who returned from the last month's religious gathering of Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz, tested positive for coronavirus in Dharavi on Friday (April 10) taking the tally in the slum-dominated area here to 28, according to civic officials.

The officials told PTI that among the 11 three are women. One of them, aged 29, is the wife of a doctor who tested positive earlier in Vaibhav Nagar, while the another one, aged 31, is a resident of the Kalyanwadi locality.

"Two people who figure in the list of police who returned from Markaz (Tablighi Jamaat's event at its headquarters in Nizamuddin, Delhi) were also found positive," a senior BMC official was quoted as saying.

He further said that one of them was a resident of Dr Baliga Nagar, while the other is from PMGP colony, adding "Both were already quarantined at the Rajiv Gandhi sports complex and have been now taken to hospital." 

Earlier in the day, six other cases came to light; of these six patients, five are residents of Mukund Nagar, while a 26- year-old man lives in Rajiv Gandhi Nagar chawl. 

Notably, a sanitization tent was set up outside Dharavi police station amid COVID-19 outbreak. The tent sprays disinfectant liquid on people passing through it.

In the last 24 hours, Mumbai recorded 218 fresh COVID-19 cases taking the total number in the city to 993 with 10 deaths, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Maharashtra, however, has so far recorded 1574 cases.

The Maharashtra government's health department showed that Mumbai has recorded 132 new cases, while the BMC release informed that the death toll of coronavirus patients reached 64 as 10 persons died today. "Out of 10 deaths nine had morbidities (existing health condition) and age-related factor," the BMC said.

Among new patients, almost 60 per cent were asymptomatic (showed no symptoms), and were detected during contact tracing or surveys, the BMC said.

The number of people who were discharged from hospitals after recovery from COVID-19 increased to 69 from 65 on Thursday. The civic body claimed that it has sanitized 28,243 premises including government and semi-government offices. Tracing of contacts of 775 patients led to identification of 4,028 high-risk individuals (those at high risk of having contracted the virus) and identification of 382 actual cases among them, it said.

In Nashik, three people tested positive for the novel coronavirus today, taking the district's COVID-19 count to 15, health officials said. A Malegaon resident, a man working in Mumbra near Mumbai and an Anandvalli resident who had travelled to Brazil have tested positive, an official said.

Maharashtra Police today registered 161 cases against fake news and rumors on social media regarding COVID-19 so far. In the last 48 hours, a total of 30 FIRs have been registered in the state while 39 people have been arrested for indulging in spreading misinformation about coronavirus.

In last 48 hours, total 30 FIR registered in the state. 39 accused are arrested and 33 are identified," said a police official.