As part of its efforts to curb the growing number of COVID-19 cases in residential buildings, starting this week the civic body will use portable X-ray machines to conduct lung scans of residents. Senior civic officials said that the machines would be used in coordination with KEM hospital's Radiology Department, which would generate the reports on a daily basis.

Additional municipal commissioner, Suresh Kakani said that the civic body had ordered 10 such X-ray machines, which were delivered last week. "These machines will be set up in vans, which will be sent to residential buildings and radiologists will read the scans. We have given the responsibility of deployment of the machines to the deputy municipal commissioners of seven zones," he said. The machines will help identify patients even if they are asymptomatic. The scans will also help in distinguishing between the COVID-19 infection and other kinds of respiratory ailments.