Mumbai region has suffered a new wave of (representational) infections
Mumbai:
Mumbai opened four new coronavirus campaign hospitals on Tuesday – including one on a horse racing track – while the national death toll has exceeded 20,000.
Hospitals in densely populated cities like Mumbai and Delhi are struggling to cope with the epidemic, and the country now has around 720,000 infections – the third largest in the world.
The Mumbai region, which accounts for about a quarter of the country’s 20,100 deaths, has suffered a new wave of infections, forcing the authorities to build makeshift hospitals and quarantine facilities.
Schools, hotels, a planetarium and a stadium used to host US NBA games last year have all been redeveloped, and on Tuesday four new field hospitals – including 700 beds inside the horse site from Mahalaxmi – have been opened.
The new facilities will together provide 3,500 additional beds in the city of 20 million people, where hospitals are swamped with hundreds of patients every day.
Health workers complained of severe staff shortages, with some experienced doctors and nurses avoiding the front lines because of their vulnerability to the virus due to their age or conditions such as diabetes.
“The necessary medical aid will be available in these four new treatment centers,” said a spokesman for the government of Maharashtra.
As the number of deaths soars, critics say the country is not testing enough – leaving many infections undiagnosed.
