BMC reactivates jumbo Covid centres amid rising Omicron cases

THE Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s health department held a meeting on Tuesday and reactivated the jumbo Covid-19 centres in the city amid rising cases of the Omicron variant of the infection.

Additional Municipal Commissioner (Health) Suresh Kakani of the BMC said, “I have told officials to activate the jumbo centres at NESCO, BKC, Mulund, NSCI and Byculla Richardson Crudass. I have told officials that once these centres are filled to 40 per cent capacity, the rest of the centres in Dahisar, Malad, Kanjur Marg, Somaiya grounds and NESCO phase-2 must be activated. Besides this, we have Seven Hills Hospital, which is a dedicated Covid-19 facility. At present, admissions are few.”

The medical protocol of treating Omicron will be decided by BMC officials and given to the state task force for final approval, Kakani added.

The BMC already has 5,000 vials of monoclonal antibodies that can treat 10,000 patients and more will be ordered if the need arises, officials said.

Kakani said that Mumbai has 14 cases of Omicron variant who have been discharged while six are undergoing hospitalisation. He said all deans and superintendents have been given powers to hire doctors and paramedics.