New Delhi: The Delhi government is keeping an eye on the spurt in COVID-19 cases in the national capital and is “prepared to face any eventuality”, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday (March 31). Only three deaths have been reported over the last four-five days. In all three patients, co-morbidities were “very severe” and it has been assessed that the fatality was due to co-morbidities and perhaps Covid was “incidental”, but one can’t say that, he said.
Also Read: India reports Over 3,000 COVID Cases For Second Consecutive Day
Addressing reporters after chairing a review meeting on the Covid situation in Delhi, Kejriwal, however, said there was no need to worry for now and that the city government was taking all required steps. He said,
The Delhi government is keeping an eye on the COVID-19 situation and it is prepared to face any eventuality.
▪️7,986 beds तैयार—66 छोड़कर सारे खाली
▪️RTPCR 1 Lakh+, सरकारी 4,000 प्रतिदिन
▪️Sufficient Ambulance, Oxygen
▪️Mock Drill करते रहे हैं
▪️Campaign COVID Appropriate Behavior पर
▪️Airport पर 2% लोगों की Random Testingसरकार तैयार है, चिंता की कोई बात नहीं
—CM @arvindkejriwal pic.twitter.com/y2AokCamn5
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 31, 2023
Delhi recorded 295 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday with a positivity of 12.48 per cent, according to data shared by the Health department. On Wednesday, the city had logged 300 cases, the first time since August 31, while the positivity had mounted to 13.89 per cent Two Covid-related deaths were also reported on Wednesday.
The chief minister said genome sequencing of all samples that returned Covid-positive results was being conducted to timely identify new variants, if any. The XBB.1.16 is the predominant variant at present, accounting for 48 per cent of all positive cases. It spreads rapidly but is not severe at all, he said.
Also Read: Haryana Government Issues Fresh Guidelines For COVID-19
On the vaccination front, Kejriwal said all adults in Delhi had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 while all eligible people below the age of 18 had been given the second dose. He added that all Delhi government hospitals had been directed to maintain isolation wards for Covid patients. He said,
We have enough beds, ambulances, sufficient oxygen and storage capacity as of now. We have 7,986 Covid beds. These include oxygen beds, ventilator beds and ICU beds. Only 66 are occupied as of now.
In response to a query on regulations related to the use of masks, the Delhi chief minister added that no new guidelines had come from the Centre and, “as and when we will receive it, we will take action accordingly”. He added,
We had also conducted testing of samples drawn from sewage and, till mid-February, the Covid positivity result was zero. But in the last 15 days, some samples have turned out positive.
The government has sufficient capacity to conduct RT-PCR tests. Government labs have the capacity to conduct 4,000 tests a day while up to a lakh tests per day can be done at private facilities, he added.
At the airport, random testing is being conducted on two per cent of the passengers, Kejriwal said.
Delhi has witnessed an increase in the number of fresh Covid cases over the last few days amid a sharp rise in India’s H3N2 influenza caseload.
Covid cases in Delhi had been on a decline over the last few months. On January 16, the national capital reported zero fresh cases for the first time since the pandemic’s outbreak. The cases on Thursday have taken Delhi’s COVID-19 tally to 20.09 lakh (20,09,656) while the death toll stands at 26,526. At present, Delhi’s active Covid cases stand at 932.
The Health department data also showed that 2,363 Covid tests were conducted on Wednesday. CM Kejriwal said,
On March 15, the daily case count was 42 and in 15 days it jumped to 295.
Of the three deaths reported in the last few days, two patients were not residents of Delhi, he added.
Also Read: Maharashtra: As Cases Rise, Solapur, Sangli Districts Top COVID-19 Positivity Chart
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the 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, which 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.
