Delhi to increase normal, ICU beds reserved for Covid-19 patients: CM Kejriwal

The decision comes after Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said on Monday that a review will be done after he was asked about the shortage of ICU beds of private hospitals in the Capital.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday his government will increase the number of normal and intensive care unit (ICU) beds reserved for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients in the national capital, adding they are “keeping a close watch and will take all necessary steps”. “In view of Covid situation developing in Delhi, no of normal and ICU beds reserved for Covid is being increased in a few hospitals. This will improve bed availability. We are keeping close watch and will take all steps necessary. There is nothing to worry. But please follow all precautions,” Kejriwal tweeted.

Kejriwal urged people to follow all precautions against the Covid-19 disease (ANI Photo)

The decision comes after Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said on Monday that a review will be done after he was asked about the shortage of ICU beds of private hospitals in the Capital. Jain also said that several ICU beds and ventilators are available in all government-based hospitals in Delhi.

The Capital has so far registered 660,611 coronavirus disease cases and 11,016 related deaths, according to the health department’s bulletin. On Tuesday, there was a slight fall in the daily tally as 992 cases were reported in the last 24 hours. The fall in infections came because of the lower number of tests, 36,757, conducted on the occasion of Holi. The recoveries are over 642,000 while active cases are nearing 7,500, the bulletin also showed.

Delhi is among nine other districts such as Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru Urban etc which have the most number of active cases in the country, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday. Addressing a press briefing, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that Delhi’s positivity rate stood at 2.04 per cent last week. Citing the progress of the nationwide vaccination drive, he told reporters that Delhi secures the second spot with 43.11 per cent vaccinations in private facilities. Telangana currently tops the list of states with the highest doses administered at private facilities at 48.39 per cent.

Close to 1.2 million beneficiaries in Delhi have been inoculated against Covid-19 till now, according to the health ministry’s update at 7am. As many as 960,057 beneficiaries have received the first dose while 237,170 have received both vaccine doses.