In a pandemic first, no Covid patient admitted at Delhi’s Lok Nayak hospital

“All Covid patients of third wave have been successfully treated & discharged from LNJP Hospital. For the first time since March 2020, zero patients of Covid-19 are admitted in the hospital…,” Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said in a tweet.

In a heartening announcement, health minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday said the Lok Nayak Hospital, the Capital’s largest Covid-19 facility run by the Delhi government, currently has zero Covid-19 patients under treatment..

During the recent wave of the omicron variant of Covid-19, an omicron isolation centre was started at the hospital, where patients testing positive upon arrival from foreign countries were admitted. (Picture for representation only/HT Archive)

“All COVID patients of third wave have been successfully treated & discharged from LNJP Hospital. For the first time since March 2020, zero patients of COVID-19 are admitted in the hospital. Salute to the entire medical fraternity for their dedicated service,” Jain said in a tweet.

Delhi reported its first Covid-19 case in March 2020 and since then, the 2,000-bed Lok Nayak Hospital has been at the forefront of the government’s fight against the pandemic. It was among the first hospitals to be turned into a dedicated Covid-19 facility and played a crucial role in managing subsequent waves of the pandemic in Delhi. Many from outside the state also got admitted and treated at the hospital over the past two years.

During the recent wave of the omicron variant of Covid-19, an omicron isolation centre was started at the hospital, where patients testing positive upon arrival from foreign countries were admitted.

Suresh Kumar, medical director, Lok Nayak Hospital, said the present success was a result of teamwork and the indomitable spirits of doctors, nurses, health-care workers and all other staff who played a crucial role during the waves of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Delhi reported only 148 fresh Covid cases on Thursday and the test positivity rate was 0.47%. The positivity rate has been below 0.5% for past several days, indicating that the Covid situation is well under control.

The latest beds occupancy report shows that 99.12% of 10,222 beds are vacant in dedicated Covid hospitals, 100% of 1,705 beds are vacant in dedicated Covid care centres and 100% of 136 beds are vacant in dedicated Covid health centres.

Meanwhile, the vaccination of children aged 12-15 continued to be low in Delhi on the second day of the drive, with fewer than 4,000 children getting the jab. According to a report by Delhi government, a total of 3,907 children were vaccinated on Thursday as compared to over 3,800 children a day before. State health officials expect the numbers to increase after Holi on Friday.