Aggressive testing throws up large number of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases in Mumbai

Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, April 12

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s strategy to carry out large-scale testing of people who may have come in contact with those infected by the COVID-19 virus have thrown up a large number of asymptomatic cases, according to officials here.

“More people are found to be positive in Mumbai because we are carrying out more tests,” Mumbai’s Municipal Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi told reporters in a video conference earlier this week.

More than two-thirds of the nearly 1900 people who have tested positive for the virus in Maharashtra are from Mumbai.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune, Pimpri and Chinchwad account for most of the COVID-19 cases in the state, according to health department officials.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said it was testing around 1500 people every day.

So far most of the tests are being carried out at areas declared contamination zones and hotspots where several COVID-19 cases have been reported.

However in the coming days more and more people in every part of Mumbai would be tested, officials said.

The BMC is also rolling out testing facilities at 17 parking lots across the city.

The civic body has roped in five private labs which will carry out 3000 tests every day, officials said.

Officials say most of those being found positive for the virus in Mumbai are asymptomatic.

Though they do not show symptoms of the virus, they can pass on the infection to others, according to health department officials.

Some of them may also develop symptoms at a later stage, officials said.

The weekend saw six employees of the Taj group of hotels test positive for the virus.

The Indian Hotels Company, which owns the hotels, said most of those who tested positive were found to be asymptomatic for the virus.

Around 500 employees of the group have been tested so far, according to the authorities.

Two hotels belonging to the group are being used to quarantine doctors from nearby hospitals.

Though there are no guests at these hotels, a television channel had moved its news desk to the Taj Land’s End at Bandra.

Shortly after one of its staffers showed symptoms of the virus, more than 40 others were tested out of which three of its employees and two contract workers were found to be positive but asymptomatic.