Mumbai, Jan 5 (IANS): Mumbai on Wednesday reported a massive spurt in Covid-19 infections with 15,166 new cases and three fatalities, officials said.

This is higher than the second wave peak of 11,206 daily cases notched on April 4, 2021 and the first-wave crest of 2,848 new infections recorded in the first wave on October 7, 2020, at the height of the pandemic lockdowns.

With the latest cases and deaths, Mumbai's case tally shot up to 833,628 and the total death toll has touched 16,384 since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Today, 1,218 were sent to hospitals, but of the total 35,487 beds available, only 5,104 beds or 14.40 per cent, are occupied by patients under treatment, including 80 needing oxygen beds.

A whopping 462 buildings are sealed and 20 slum tenements have been declared as active containment zones as the cases are now spreading even in backward localities.

On Tuesday, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar had warned that if the daily case count crosses 20,000, a lockdown was likely to be imposed in the country's commercial capital, while Health Minister Rajesh Tope has hinted at "severe" restrictions in lieu of a lockdown.