MUMBAI: The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday lauded the Dharavi model to contain the coronavirus spread.
Asia”s largest slum spread over 2.25 sq.kms, Dharavi has made a dramatic return from the brink in the ongoing war against coronavirus and reported a single-digit rise in COVID-19 cases.
On Friday, Dharavi reported 12 new cases, taking its tally to 2,359.
Speaking at a media briefing on Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cited various examples that has yielded impressive results, Dr Tedros said, “In Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, New Zealand, Italy, Spain and South Korea and even in Dharavi, a densely packed area in Mumbai, a strong focus on community engagement and the basics of testing, tracing, isolating and treating all those that are sick is key to breaking the chains of transmission and suppressing the virus.”
Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray described the WHO chief’s remarks as “huge for our very own Dharavi that has chased the virus”.
Despite Dharavi’s ‘recovery’, Maharashtra‘s total COVID-19 cases at present have exceeded South Africa’s 224,665, which ranks 13 as per the Worldometer data.
With Thursday’s figures, there was one death recorded roughly every 7 minutes and a whopping 286 new cases notched every hour in the state.
The recovery rate in the state improved marginally from 55.06 per cent to 55.19 per cent Thursday, while the mortality (death) rate stood at 4.19 per cent.