New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday expressed concern about the increase in COVID-19 cases in Delhi and pushed for the mandatory retest of all people who test negative for rapid antigen tests. and develop symptoms of influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). then.
He said false negative results for the disease could lead to complacency among those infected with coronavirus.
During a meeting, Vardhan interacted with Deputy Governor Anil Baijal and Delhi’s Health Minister Satyendra Kumar Jain in the presence of senior city officials, mayors, municipal commissioners and district magistrates.
Vardhan expressed concern about the increase in the number of cases and the high rate of positivity in the northern, central, northeast, east, northwest and southeast districts of Delhi.
“We are particularly concerned about the increase in the positivity rate in these six districts,” he said.
At the meeting, he was told that 77 percent of the tests are based on RAT, while RT-PCR comprises only 23 percent of the total tests.
Noting that false negative results could lead to complacency among those infected with coronavirus, he lobbied for the mandatory retest of all those who test negative on rapid antigen tests and then develop symptoms of ILI and SARI.
Vardhan urged officials to instill COVID-appropriate behavior among the masses and mitigate the momentum of the infectious disease by the end of the year, so that it loses its potency.
He also reiterated the government’s commitment to vaccinate 20 to 25 million citizens, including those involved in front-line healthcare by mid-2021.
Lieutenant Governor Baijal noted that the Delhi administration has been warned by experts about possible surges due to the holiday season and the facilitation of interstate transportation.
He also reported that the administration is working to instill changes in standard operating procedures for more efficient containment of the spread of the disease.
Delhi Health Minister Jain called on the Center to increase the number of ICU beds at AIIMS-New Delhi and other central hospitals to increase current capacity that has been under pressure.
Rajesh Bhushan, the Union’s health secretary, noted that effective contact tracing is achieved not only by tracing a large number of contacts, but also by completing the exercise within the first 72 hours.
He called on the Delhi administration to transfer patients requiring intensive care to the Defense Medical Hospital Center in Dhaula-Kuan, which has capacity for 125 ICU beds.
Delhi has recorded record cases in recent days. On Wednesday, the city saw a record single-day increase in COVID-19 cases with more than 6,800 confirmed infections. PTI UZM SNE
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