With 1,541 Covid-19 cases, Dharavi adds to Mumbai’s woes | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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With 1,541 Covid-19 cases, Dharavi adds to Mumbai’s woes

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Byhindustantimes.com | Edited by: Amit Chaturvedi
May 25, 2020 11:18 AM IST

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Mumbai reached 30,359. The death toll has risen to 988 after 39 deaths were reported on Sunday.

Mumbai reported 1,725 new Covid-19 positive cases on Sunday, and one of its hotspots, the Dharavi slum, recorded 27 of them. With this, Dharavi’s Covid-19 tally reached 1,541.

Migrant workers and their family members stand in a queue and wait for the bus at Dharavi to go to the Lokmanya tilak terminus as a special train organised by Maharashtra government to go their native place, on Sunday.(Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)
Migrant workers and their family members stand in a queue and wait for the bus at Dharavi to go to the Lokmanya tilak terminus as a special train organised by Maharashtra government to go their native place, on Sunday.(Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

So far, 59 people have died due to the disease in Dharavi, according to Maharashtra health department.

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In a new initiative, the civic authorities are experimenting with ‘group laughter therapy’ for the people of Dharavi in a bid to ease stress and anxiety levels in the crowded slum district, now largely in containment.

Meanwhile, the total number of Covid-19 cases in Mumbai reached 30,359. The death toll has risen to 988 after 39 deaths were reported on Sunday in the metropolitan city.

The total number of cases recovered and discharged so far in the city is 8,074.

The hospitals in Mumbai are stretched to capacity, front-line staff are struggling to deal with physical, emotional and psychological trauma. Doctors are contracting the infection by the dozen, fights are breaking out in hospital queues and bodies of deceased patients are being left behind in wards for hours on end. The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corpoation (BMC) has taken over private hospitals and is looking to turn buses and school vans into ambulances.

“Mumbai is on the verge of a health crisis,” said Dr Deepak Baid, president of Association of Medical Consultants.

Interns, resident doctors, senior doctors, and nurses, all working in three shifts of eight hours each with personal protective equipment (PPE) as their only shield, are fighting a steep battle against not just the disease but also mental health concerns.

In Mumbai alone, 300 medical staff have contracted the infection.

Many woman nurses and doctors complain of urinary tract infection (UTI) due to the dehydration. The problem gets worse during menstruation.

All the medical staff on Covid duty are given alternative accommodation in hotels or lodges. Many haven’t seen their family for over two months.

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