Even after an eight-fold rise in COVID-19 cases over a month, the trends of 90 per cent of the cases being from outside slums and 80 per cent of patients having mild or no symptoms continue. The only difference is that people from high rises are coming forward to do tests as it is mandatory for travelling.

It has been a month since the city started witnessing a rise in COVID-19 cases. The cases increased from 375 per day to 2,877 per day, an eightfold rise in a span of 37 days. On February 19, when the city reported 823 fresh cases and had 6,577 active patients, civic officials told mid-day that over 90 per cent of cases are from areas other than slums and only 20 per cent are showing symptoms that need hospitalisation. On March 18, the city registered 2,877 cases and the number of active patients swelled to 18,424. “Even now in L ward, where 75 per cent people reside in slums, 95 per cent cases are coming from buildings. Less than 10 per cent of people have symptoms. Most of the patients are quarantined in their homes,” said Dr Jitendra Jadhav, medical health officer of L ward, comprising Kurla and parts of Chembur.