Hospitals and patients' relatives are struggling to find remdesivir, the drug shown to shorten the recovery time for severely ill COVID-19 patients, as it is still not easily available in the city. The BMC has started the process to purchase the antiviral drug for civic-run hospitals, but the supply is limited, as only one of the two pharmaceutical companies with permission to launch the drug has begun the sale.

Last week, Hasan Shaikh from Thane ran from one pharmacy to another in search of remdesivir for his critically ill friend, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Thane. Finally, after two days, the 44-year-old found the drug at a Bandra West pharmacy. "The doctor wrote a prescription for him since he was in a critical condition and the hospital didn't have remdesivir. We tried at several pharmacies in Thane but to no avail. After reaching out to everyone I could think of, someone told me that I could purchase it from the pharmacy in Lilavati Hospital," said Shaikh. He bought seven vials of the drug at R4,000 each. However, it didn't help his 52-year-old diabetic friend, who died on Monday.