Sisodia conducts Covid prep drill at Lok Nayak

Hospitals across the country held similar drills on the day to assess infrastructure in the event of a spike in Covid-19 cases

Government hospitals in the Capital are prepared to ramp up infrastructure to treat an increased number of Covid-19 patients should the need arise, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said after a drill to assess pandemic preparedness at Lok Nayak Hospital on Tuesday.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia interacts with a doctor in a drill to take stock of preparations for Covid-19, at LNJP Hospital in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Hospitals across the country held similar drills on the day to assess infrastructure in the event of a spike in Covid-19 cases.

To be sure, Covid-19 cases and deaths in the Capital over the past two months or so have been at their lowest levels over the course of the pandemic.

Delhi on Tuesday logged just 16 cases of Covid-19 and no deaths, said the state government’s daily health bulletin. Only 39 people in Delhi are currently infected with Covid-19, according to state government data.

Government hospitals in the Capital have reserved 8,200 beds, 6,000 oxygen cylinders, several oxygen tankers to transport oxygen, and the capacity to store 928 metric tonnes of medical oxygen, Sisodia, who visited Lok Nayak Hospital with health department officials said, adding that the state can ramp the number of beds up to 36,000.

“Delhi’s government hospitals are fully prepared for any situation. Lok Nayak Hospital has 2,000 beds, of which 450 have been reserved for Covid-19 patients. If needed, we will increase the number of Covid beds to over 1,000. The hospital is fully prepared to fight Covid-19 this time as well. The Delhi government is regularly reviewing the preparedness of all hospitals,” said Sisodia.

Cases in several parts of the world have picked up over the past few weeks, with China the worst off. However, experts have sought to allay concerns and said China’s situation is incomparable with India, which has significantly higher immunisation levels.