Delhi Govt cuts Covid beds as Covid-19 cases fall

From 15,294 beds set aside for Covid treatment as on February 24, the number has been reduced to 11,089 as on February 27 (Sunday).

With Covid-19 infections under control (just 258 new cases were reported on Monday at a daily positivity rate of 0.71%), the Delhi government has started reducing the number of beds reserved for Covid treatment and have released them for non-Covid care, senior health officials said on Monday.

A doctor examines a Covid-19 patient for black fungus infection. (FILE PHOTO)

From 15,294 beds set aside for Covid treatment as on February 24, the number has been reduced to 11,089 as on February 27 (Sunday). A senior official said Covid infections in the national capital have been under control for nearly a month now and looking at the consistent fall in cases, the government has decided that hospital beds reserved for Covid patients be gradually reallocated to non-Covid patients.

“The saving grace during this wave of Covid was that the infection was relatively milder and fewer people needed hospitalisations. But still, we were prepared to handle the peak and we had made arrangements to increase the beds up to a 100,000, if the need arose. But even the peak of this wave was managed with 16,000-odd beds,” said the official, on condition of anonymity.

Delhi government data showed that the bed allotment for Covid started reducing from February 25. Till February 24, the number of beds reserved for Covid patients in dedicated hospitals was 15,294, which was reduced to 11,617 on February 25.

Subsequently, it was reduced to 11,113 on February 26 and then again to 11,089 on February 27.

Data also showed that in mid-January, when the Covid infections were at its peak (Omicron fuelled wave) in Delhi, the bed allotment had reached 15,891.

However, it is also important to note that even though the government had conveyed via several orders that it was prepared to expand the facilities further, at no point in time during the Omicron wave did the hospital bed occupancy cross 20%. As of February 27, the bed occupancy was only 1.62%, the officials said.

“The Covid cases are nearly negligible now in Delhi. People need to follow government guidelines now and ensure that they get vaccinated. During a pandemic, healthcare infrastructure needs to be managed to give priority to the infected but I don’t think non-Covid care suffered,” said Dr Suresh Kumar, medical director, Lok Nayak Hospital, the largest Covid hospital in Delhi.