Delhi Covid Cases Rising But Hospitalisation Rate Low, Says Minister

New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday said that though COVID-19 cases have increased in the capital, people are not developing severe disease and the hospitalisation rate is low. He attributed the low hospitalisation rate to vaccination and naturally acquired immunity. “Though Covid cases have increased in Delhi, people are not developing severe disease and the hospitalisation rate is low. This is because our population is fully vaccinated and a large number of people have had the disease in the past,” Mr Jain told reporters.

Also Read: COVID-19 Cases Continue To Rise In The National Capital, Is It Time To Worry?

He also said there is no need to panic about Covid cases among children. Several sero-surveys have shown that though the infection rate among children and adults is almost the same, the severity of disease is “very low” in children.

With the national capital witnessing an uptick in coronavirus infections over the past few days, the number of active cases on Wednesday stood at 4,832, up from 601 on April 11, according to health department data.

However, the hospitalisation rate so far has been low, accounting for less than 3 per cent of the total active cases, the health department’s bulletin said on Wednesday. As many as 129 COVID-19 patients are admitted to Delhi hospitals, while 3,336 are recuperating in home isolation, it said.

Earlier, when Delhi would have 5,000 active cases, Mr Jain said, 1,000 people would require hospitalisation. Of the 9,390 beds available for COVID-19 patients in various hospitals, only 148 (1.58 per cent) are occupied.

We have around 1,000 beds at present. We ramp up their number if needed, he said.

Also Read: 70 Per Cent People Who Took Booster Dose Didn’t Get Covid During 3rd Wave In India: Study

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity,  that is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.