Fourth wave fears: 10 tips to stay cautious amid spike in Covid cases in Mumbai

With the upward spiral of Covid19 cases Mumbaikars need to be cautious and take precautions Majority of people have stopped wearing masks To keep the fourth wave at bay people should adhere to Covid protocols and continue to wear masks for some more time say expertsMaharashtra had recorded 169 new cases on May 1 while on May 31 the daily rise in cases in the state was 711 Meanwhile Mumbai on June 20 reported 1310 new cases The citys overall tally of cases has reached 1095954 and the Covid19 death toll to 19585 The city now has 14089 active casesDr Mule suggested protective measures and safety tipsSpeaking to MidDaycom Dr Aniket Mule consultant internal medicine Wockhardt Hospitals said that if the cases continue to rise then the government will have to impose lockdown1 It is possible to avoid the fourth wave if people adhere to the Covid protocols of masking hand sanitizing and social distancingAlso Read Mumbai Metropolitan Region has maximum Covid19 cases in Maharashtra2 Donrsquot forget to get fullyvaccinated or take a booster shot if you are eligible Doing so can reduce hospital admissions Although there is no intimation from the official authorities on the possibility of the fourth wave due to the rise in the number of cases we need to be cautious If there is a detection of a new variant with serious diseasecausing ability then there can be a fourth wave3 Avoid going to crowded places and being around sick people4 Disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as door knobs handles faucets and kitchen countertops5 Since the monsoon is already here there will be a surge in malaria dengue and chikungunya and there are chances of Covid coinfection Try to wear fullsleeved clothes to prevent mosquito bites Use mosquito repellents avoid water stagnation near the house and do not wade through rainwater6 Also eat a wellbalanced diet inclusive of all the vital nutrients Give up on junk food and exercise indoors to boost immunity7 Since the cases are rising limit the number of visitors at home8 Avoid going to work if you feel sick9 Do not send children to school if they are down with cold and cough10 If you have symptoms such as cold cough fever or body ache then isolate yourself and do the tests suggested by the doctor as the symptoms of malaria dengue and Covid19 are similar ldquoIt will be imperative for you to get the correct diagnosis and then immediately initiate the treatmentrdquo he addedIs BMC prepared to tackle the latest surgeDr Mangala Gomare executive health officer Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC shared Yes we are seeing more cases but this is not a wave it is a spike or surge We are seeing less number of hospitalisations which is 3 to 5 per cent of the total positive cases Ninetysix per cent of the cases are asymptomatic she explainedWhen asked if BMC is prepared to tackle monsoon and rising Covid cases together Dr Gomare said This is not new to BMC as we have handled three Covid waves before Previous ones were tough with high demand of oxygen During the third wave we saw 20000 cases reported in a day in Mumbai So now we are wellprepared for any such situation We already have the infrastructure in place Our people are now trained and have the experience along with treatment protocols in placeHence we are fully prepared On the contrary we have closed down some of the Covid centres Now we have more than 10000 beds available in dedicated covid hospital DCH and dedicated covid health centre DCHC in case there are more admissions Even the active cases are few in MumbaiDr Gomare urged people to not panic and asked senior citizens to get booster shots ldquoHowever people should not take this lightly and follow proper Covid behaviour Pregnant women senior citizens and people with comorbidities need to be cautious as they have low immunity Children in the age group of 12 to 17 years should get vaccinated she added