Covid cases drop below 500 for third consecutive day in Mumbai

On the third day in row, Mumbai reported less than 500 coronavirus cases on Wednesday. However, the number of fatalities due to the infection jumped to nine, a day after recording only one COVID-19 death, as per the bulletin released by the city civic body.

With the detection of 441 fresh cases, the overall tally of cases has risen to 10,52,617 in Mumbai. The COVID-19 death toll has jumped to 16,676, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) bulletin said.

On Monday, Mumbai had logged 356 COVID-19 cases- the lowest daily rise after December 21, 2021 when the third wave of the pandemic started. The day before the city had recorded 447 cases and only one fatality.

Mumbai's case positivity rate now stands at 1.16 per cent, the BMC said, adding that Mumbai is now left with 4,096 active cases.

Of the 441 new cases, 85 per cent or 376 patients are asymptomatic.

In the last 24 hours, only 65 patients were hospitalised and 24 are on oxygen support, it said.

A total of 37,800 tests were conducted in Mumbai in the last 24 hours, 3,000 more than Monday, taking the number of samples tested so far to 1,56,51,624, it said.

With 1,115 COVID-19 patients being discharged in the last 24 hours, the number of recoveries in Mumbai has jumped to 10,29,006.

Mumbai's case recovery rate now stands at 98 per cent. The doubling rate now stands at 840 days, while the overall growth rate stood at 0.08 per cent between February 2 and February 8, the bulletin said.

Currently, 1,267 of the total 36,991 hospital beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients, it said.

Mumbai is free of containment zones in slums and chawls, as per the bulletin.

When the third wave of the pandemic, mainly driven by the Omicron variant, was at its peak, Mumbai had recorded the highest 20,971 cases on January 7.