Delhi will receive hundreds of more beds in the intensive care unit (ICU) for Covid-19 patients, tests for the coronavirus will be doubled, and doctors from the central paramilitary forces will be airlifted, the government announced after a meeting of This high-profile Sunday underscored what the numbers have been saying lately: the capital is in the grip of an unprecedented wave of infections.
The meeting was chaired by the Union Minister of the Interior, Amit Shah, and among the attendees were Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Center and State Health Ministers, the Deputy Governor of Delhi and senior officials from Niti Aayog, Indian Council for Medical Research and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
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The meeting began with a presentation by VK Paul de Niti Aayog, who described the situation in Delhi as “unprecedented” and “likely to get worse,” according to an official familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Among the disturbing details presented was this: On November 11, the day 48,355 new cases were reported, Delhi recorded 361 cases per million inhabitants, a level never before seen in India, not even in Maharashtra during its worst days.
“First, it was decided that the testing capacity for RT-PCR tests would be doubled in Delhi. The laboratories in Delhi will be used to their full capacity and wherever the risk of an outbreak is high, mobile test vans from the Ministry of Health and ICMR will be deployed, ”Shah said in a series of tweets. ICMR is expected to decide how this can be done on Monday afternoon.
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Experts said that while the decision to increase testing was welcomed, authorities will need to focus on speeding up the results, as people are likely to continue to spread the infection in the time between collection of samples and notification of the results.
The minister also said that a decision had been made to strengthen the hospital infrastructure. “It was decided that an additional 250-300 ICU beds would be added to DRDO’s existing medical facility in Dhaula Kuan … The 10,000-bed Covid Care Center established in Chhattarpur would also be strengthened with increased availability of oxygen-capable beds.” Said the Interior Ministry in a statement.
Officials are also believed to have briefly considered the idea of additional restrictions, although no decision was made on this. “Nothing was discussed about further restrictions, although the Interior Ministry may hold a meeting on the matter,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said after the meeting.
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Kejriwal described the lack of ICU beds as the “biggest challenge.” “We have seen that after October 20, the cases have really started to increase. Hospital beds are sufficient, but ICU beds have decreased. The Center has ensured that 500 ICU beds will be added at the DRDO hospital, followed by another 250, “he said, adding:” The second big decision was to increase daily tests to more than 100,000. ICMR has assured us that they will expand the facilities. The Delhi government facilities are full ”.
As on Sunday night, of the total of 3,524 ICU beds for Covid-19 patients in more than 100 hospitals in Delhi, 3,099 were occupied. Hospitals have been particularly flooded this month, with active cases rising from just over 22,000 in mid-October to about 40,000 on Sunday. HT also learns that a team of senior government officials from the Center and the state can visit private hospitals to make sure all available beds are used.
The peak has been particularly pronounced due to the festive season. In the week ending October 25, when the city held the Dussehra celebrations, there were an average of 3,663 cases per day. As in the middle of last week, this number increased to 7,196. By comparison, the number was 2,627 in the first week of October.
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“It was noted that the number of active cases per day has increased substantially. While the Fatal Case Rate (CFR) remains under control, the medical and health infrastructure, such as dedicated Covid-19 beds, beds with ventilators and ICUs, are already showing signs of tension, ”said the statement from the Ministry of Health. Inside.
The ministry added that teams from AIIMS, the Delhi government and municipal corporations will carry out house-to-house surveys throughout Delhi, after which all symptomatic people will be tested and provided with the necessary treatment. People familiar with the development said Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev will meet on Monday to discuss a buffer zone strategy.
“With the positivity rate on the rise, there is no other option but to expand testing to contain the spread of the infection. And, in an ideal world, all testing would be done using RT PCR, which is more sensitive and can detect more cases, ”said Dr. Rajinder K Dhamija, professor of medicine and head of the department of neurology at Lady Hardinge Medical. College.
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“If there is a delay, you need to make sure that anyone who is tested, and you are tested only if there is any suspicion, remain in quarantine until you get the results to limit the transmission of the infection. And it is the responsibility of the government and the people, ”added Dr. Dhamija.
The Center also decided to rush more doctors and paramedics from the central paramilitary forces, who will be flown to Delhi from other parts of the country. The Union government also ordered that some hospitals of the three Delhi municipal corporations, which do not belong to the Delhi government, become dedicated Covid-19 hospitals to treat patients with mild symptoms.
Subsequently, teams made up of officials from various departments will visit Delhi’s private hospitals to inspect the availability of medical infrastructure, beds, patient admission and assess whether or not the decisions made earlier are being implemented.
New protocols will also be developed for plasma donation and delivery of plasma to critically ill patients. A high-level committee consisting of Paul de Niti Aayog, AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria and ICMR Director Balram Bhargava will report on this soon. “Containment measures previously taken such as the establishment of containment zones, contract tracking and quarantine and review will also be re-evaluated,” Shah said in his tweets, before adding: “Prevention is the only solution to the coronavirus; therefore Delhi needs to have a strong communication awareness program to inform people about the behavior of Covid-19 and the negative aspects of the pandemic, ”Shah tweeted.
The interior minister also suggested that the Delhi CM consult the three mayors of the city for better management of Covid.
Later that day, Kejriwal tweeted: “Delhi has shown before that we can overcome the crown when we all work together. The center, the state government, DRDO, ICMR will redouble their efforts and work together, but we need the support of all the delhites. We cannot afford to be careless. We need all citizens to help by taking all precautions ”.
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