A differential pricing policy has created a situation where private hospitals have stockpiles of vaccines, but no takers. Worse, the doses might expire soon.
The number of Mumbaikars taking Covid-19 vaccines at private centres has reduced by 68 per cent in the last two months, said data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
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MUMBAI: Dengue cases have been rising sharply across the city, said doctors, even though the BMC has officially stated that only eight patients were diagnosed between July 1 and 11.
An added complication this monsoon, said doctors, was that several dengue patients have been coming in with symptoms of cold, cough and low oxygen levels that are now synonymous with Covid-19.
Infectious diseases specialist Dr Om Srivastava said people associated dengue with a drop in white blood cells and platelets, but “we now have dengue patients with cough, cold and lower respiratory ailments”.
It isn’t as if dengue’s symptoms have changed but Covid has changed us, said Dr Gautam Bhansali from Bombay Hospital near New Marine Lines. “People have become very observant, especially with cough, cough and blood oxygen levels. All these symptoms are part of most viral fever, be it Covid or dengue,” he said.
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MUMBAI: Wards in the island city are reporting a surge in malaria and dengue cases and it seems to be reflected in a corresponding rise in admissions due to vector-borne diseases in south Mumbai hospitals.
In times of the pandemic, many people who feared they had contracted Covid after developing fever, cough and headache are finding out it was malaria or dengue.
BMC figures show there have been 357 malaria cases in June and 230 in the first 11 days of July. Overall, nearly 2,000 cases have been reported this year. Since June, the city has seen 20 confirmed dengue cases. Most of these cases are being reported from wards such as A (Colaba, Cuffe Parade, Churchgate), E (Mazgaon, Byculla) and G-South (Worli, Lower Parel).