At least 2,450 more beds will be allotted in private hospitals for COVID-19 after the municipal commissioner asked them to start allotting beds to these patients. Of these, 1,000 were added on Friday and the rest will be added this Thursday. The BMC had instructed private hospitals on Friday to allot more beds for COVID patients just as it was done in July last year.

Though the percentage of symptomatic patients who need hospitalisation has not increased more than 20 per cent, the surge in overall cases is so high that there could be a bed crunch. The city has been witnessing more than 3,000 cases every day. Right now, the number of active patients is 25,372 out of which 6,609 are symptomatic and 499 are critical. But the number of beds occupied is 7,949. “Some seniors above the age of 60 years and people with comorbidities may need hospitalisation even if the symptoms are mild, for precautionary measures,” said a health officer of the BMC.