Highlights
- 9,418 hospital beds have been occupied by COVID-19 patients in Delhi
- Delhi has reported a death rate of 1.58 per cent among COVID-19 patients
- Delhi recorded 6,746 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday (November 22)
New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Monday (November 23) attributed the high COVID-19 death rate in the city to the pollution caused by stubble-burning and expected a downtrend in it in the next two-three weeks. The minister told reporters here that the pollution due to stubble-burning created a big problem in Delhi. It caused problems in breathing and those who had COVID-19 inhaled the smoke, which aggravated the seriousness, he said. Its effect on the city’s COVID-19 death rate will go away in the next two-three weeks since pollution due to stubble-burning has lessened in the last few days, he said. “There was heavy pollution due to stubble-burning amid the COVID-19 pandemic and it came as a double attack. Since the pollution due to stubble-burning is less now, the downtrend in deaths will be there in a few weeks,” Mr. Jain said.
Delhi recorded 6,746 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday (November 22) and a positivity rate of 12.29 per cent, while 121 more fatalities pushed the city’s death toll due to the disease to 8,391, authorities said. This was the fifth time in 11 days that the daily number of deaths crossed the 100-mark in the national capital. The authorities reported 111 deaths on Saturday, 118 on Friday, 131 on November 18, the highest till date, and 104 on November 12.
Delhi has reported a death rate of 1.58 per cent among COVID-19 patients as compared to the national fatality rate of 1.48 per cent. Experts attribute the high figure of daily COVID-19 deaths in the national capital to a large number of “critical” non-resident patients coming to the city for treatment, an unfavourable weather, pollution and a better “reporting and mapping” of fatalities.
They say the easing of restrictions has exposed the vulnerable population, such as the elderly and those having comorbidities, to the deadly virus. Mr. Jain said the number of fresh cases as well as the positivity rate are gradually going down in Delhi, showing that the COVID-19 situation is improving.
Since November 7, when the positivity rate was more than 15 per cent, it has come down to over 12 per cent now. The number of fresh cases was over 8,500 on November 10, which reduced to 6,746 on Sunday, he said. The health minister said 9,418 hospital beds have been occupied by COVID-19 patients in Delhi currently, whereas 7,900 are still vacant.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. 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 highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. 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 become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
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