Coronavirus in India: Should States Follow Mumbai Model to Flatten COVID Curve?

As the covid second wave continues to wreak havoc in the country, some states are handling it well. They have implemented a lockdown, and are taking care of other medical essential supplies as well.

Every day India reports a high number of positive cases with an increase in the death toll. People even critical conditions have to wait to get admitted as there are no beds in hospitals. Similarly, there is a shortage in oxygen cylinders and other Covid19 medical essentials.

Talking about Mumbai, one of the worst-hit cities in India, the cases were very high there. Mumbai's Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal made sure that the patients who will not be receiving oxygen due to the shortage in the hospital, were shifted to another facility. A day when two of the big hospitals in Mumbai were running out of oxygen was the scariest day for Chahal, he said. But the city has been tackling the situation fairly.

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Mumbai has adopted a ‘temporary hospital’ method where the patients might be at risk due to oxygen shortage is shifted to these makeshift ones. These hospitals have pipes that directly supply oxygen to the patients’ bed.

Initially, the cases in Maharashtra were too high but now the numbers are coming down and other states are reporting more. Karnataka is standing in second place with the highest number of deaths, where it has crossed Delhi. Karnataka reported 22,313 COVID deaths compared to 21,846 in Delhi on Tuesday. The state recorded a daily average of 400 deaths in May. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 32.50 per cent, the case fatality rate (CFR) was at 1.73 per cent.

Maharastra has reported 82,000 deaths. So far, Karnataka, Delhi and Maharashtra account for nearly 46% of the 2.8 lakh fatalities in India.