Union Home Minister Amit Shah Announces Measures To Curb COVID-19 Spread In Delhi, RT-PCR Tests To Be Doubled

New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday (November 15) announced several measures, including doubling of RT-PCR tests and strengthening medical infrastructure to bring under control Delhi’s rising number of coronavirus cases. The decisions were announced by Mr Shah after he chaired a meeting to review the coronavirus situation in the national capital. Union health minister Harsh Vardhan, Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain had also participated in the meet at North Block today (November 15).

Taking to Twitter, the home minister talked about the various measures to be implemented.

Also Read: Delhi Is Observing The Third Wave Of Coronavirus, Here’s What You Need To Know

The Home Minister said that some MCD hospitals will be converted into dedicated COVID hospitals to treat patients with mild symptoms.

“Today many directions were given in the meeting. 1- RT-PCR tests will be doubled in Delhi. 2- In Delhi, mobile testing vans of the ICMR of health ministry will be deployed in places vulnerable to Covid-19 spread by using maximum capacity of labs,” Mr Shah tweeted.

Also Read: Delhi’s Third Covid Peak Longer Than Previous Ones, May Subside Soon: Minister Satyendar Jain

He said that capacity of hospitals in Delhi and other medical infrastructure should be increased.

In this direction, 250 to 300 ICU beds will be included in DRDO COVID Hospital located in Dhaula Kuan which was set up in May so that serious COVID-19 patients can be treated there, the union minister said.

Mr Shah said that 10,000-bed COVID Centre at Chhatarpur will be strengthened further and the number of beds with oxygen facility will be increased.

Also Read: Super-Spreading Events Must Have Happened In Delhi, Leading To Surge In COVID-19 Cases: Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS Delhi

Dedicated teams will visit all private hospitals to check the availability of COVID -19 related medical infrastructure and to inspect the condition of patients, he said.

Review of all containment measures like establishment of containment zones, contact tracts, quarantine and screening. Especially those people who are at high risk of contracting COVID and it should be reviewed continuously to ensure no lacuna in implementing containment measures, he tweeted.

Additional doctors and paramedical staff of CAPF will be deployed in the national capital and will soon be airlifted to Delhi.

In today’s meeting Directions were given to focus on tracking COVID -19 patients who are in home isolation and shifting them to COVID hospitals if they need immediate medical facility so that more and more lives can be saved, he tweeted.

Mr Shah said that direction has been given to prepare a protocol for plasma donation and transfusion to affected persons. For this, he said, a high-level committee headed by Dr VK Paul, AIIMS Director and DG ICMR will submit a report on it soon.

Also Read: Air Pollution And COVID-19: Is It About Time To Shift From Cloth Mask To Pollution Safe N95 Or N99 Mask?

Additionally, the Central Government will provide oxygen cylinders, High Flow Nasal Cannula and all other essential health equipment to Delhi.

Safety is the only solution to coronavirus. Directions were given to create awareness among people about COVID-19 behaviour and to make a concrete dialogue strategy in Delhi to provide information about negative impact in the long run, Mr Shah tweeted.

Also Read: 73% Of Delhi-NCR Residents’ Family Members Are Facing Air Pollution Related Ailments, Experts Say The Number Will Rise

(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.