Public hospitals in Mumbai have already run out of intensive care unit (ICU) beds leading to fears of a spike in coronavirus and otherwise avoidable deaths.

Approximately 22 million people live in the megacity but it only has 200 ICU beds for its entire population.

More than 2,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Mumbai and cases have doubled over the last six days.

A 49-year-old man from Agripada admitted to Kasturba Hospital died on Wednesday night while waiting to be transferred to a hospital with a free ICU bed.

“We tried at least five hospitals, including Seven Hills and Saifee, but none had any vacant ICU beds,” Samajwadi Party legislator Rais Shaikh, who had been assisting the family, told The Hindu. His coronavirus status remains unclear.

A 42-year-old man from Govandi suffering from extreme breathlessness waited 30 hours to get an ICU bed with a dialysis facility. He was finally admitted on Thursday morning in a critical situation. Further delays were caused by ambulance staff refusing to transfer the patient as they feared they would potentially be exposed to coronavirus.