57% People In Mumbai Slums Were Infected With COVID-19 But Weren't Diagnosed

Dhir Acharya - Jul 29, 2020

According to a survey in Mumbai, 57% of the slum residents and 16% of the people who live in residential societies, were infected with COVID-19.

According to a survey in Mumbai, 57% of the slum residents in the city as well as 16% of the people who live in residential societies were infected with the coronavirus. However, they were not diagnosed due to showing no symptoms of COVID-19.

The survey also found that the infection rate between women was higher. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) carried out the serological survey in collaboration with the Niti Aayog and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

mumbai slums — People living in Mumbai slums were infected but not diagnosed

The survey involved 8,870 people, of which only 6,936 responded, meaning those living non-slums areas were reluctant to participate in the survey. These samples were gathered from Mumbai’s general population in Matunga, Chembur, and Dahisar.

The spread of the pandemic in slums is partly due to the high population density as well as the use of public facilities like water points and toilets. While COVID-19 has been spread throughout slums, the death rate remains low in Mumbai.

As stated in the survey, the low death rate could be attributed to effective preventive solutions performed by the BMC and its attempts to prevent the disease from spreading further. Besides, thanks to social distancing and enhanced cleanliness, the COVID-19 tally in non-slum places has also been lowered.

Breaking out in December 2019, the COVID-19 spread to almost every country in the world, including India, and was declared a global pandemic earlier this year. As of now, India has recorded over 1.5 million infected cases with more than 34,000 deaths from the disease.