English
Specials
    Upgrade
    MoneycontrolBe a PRO
    Moneycontrol PRO
    you are here: HomeNewsIndia

    Mumbai’s COVID-19 surge | BMC commissioner says lockdown less likely with existing SOPs

    Iqbal Singh Chahal said graded restrictions could be imposed on markets if the COVID-19 situation worsens

    Moneycontrol News
    March 31, 2021 / 02:40 PM IST
    File image of the BMC headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra

    File image of the BMC headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra

    Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on March 31 told CNBC-TV18 that lockdown was less likely to be imposed in Mumbai with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) already in place. However, Chahal said additional steps will be taken if the situation worsens.

    Chahal also said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also does not want another lockdown in the state. A lockdown would also disrupt the ongoing vaccination drive, he added.

    There were no instructions to stop Mumbai’s suburban (local) train services for now but the situation would be reviewed in 15 days, he said.

    This came amid the second wave of COVID-19 cases in India, and particularly in Mumbai. The financial hub reported more than 4,700 new COVID-19 cases on March 30. The number had remained above the 5,000-mark for five consecutive days before that.

    The municipal commissioner said people should not lower their guard and emphasised the need to be cautious. He reiterated the need to curb crowding in the city.

    COVID-19 Vaccine

    Frequently Asked Questions

    View more
    How does a vaccine work?

    A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

    How many types of vaccines are there?

    There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

    What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

    Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

    View more
    Show

    Related stories

    He sought to assure citizens that Mumbai has adequate hospital capacity to deal with the surging COVID-19 cases and added that around 3,000 beds remained vacant across the city.

    Authorities could impose graded restrictions on markets if the COVID-19 situation worsens, Chahal said.

    Read: Severe crackdown on Covidiots, massive scale-up in vaccination run-rate needed to contain second wave

    On March 27, a night curfew was imposed in all major cities of Maharashtra between 8.00 pm and 7.00 am. All public places such as beaches and gardens are to remain shut during this period. Social, political, cultural and religious gatherings remain suspended in the state.

    Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the coronavirus pandemic

    The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Maharashtra were the worst-affected areas of the country since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in February-March 2020.

    As of March 30, Mumbai had reported 4.04 lakh COVID-19 cases. This number included around 3.44 lakh recoveries and 11,661 deaths. About 47,450 cases remained ‘active’ in the city.

    The state’s overall tally stood at 27.5 lakh, including 23.8 lakh recoveries and more than 54,400 deaths.

    Click here for Moneycontrol’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic

    Moneycontrol News
    Tags: #BMC #coronavirus #Covid-19 #India #mumbai
    first published: Mar 31, 2021 02:40 pm