Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to chair emergency meeting on Covid-19 surge today

The positivity rate, which is indicative of the ongoing spread of the infection, had remained below 1% consecutively for 82 days between December 28 and March 19.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will chair an emergency meeting with health minister Satyendar Jain and other senior officials on Friday in light of the surging Covid-19 cases in the Capital, a statement issued by the chief minister’s office said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Delhi, on Thursday, recorded 2,790 new Covid-19 cases and nine more deaths, with the positivity rate — the proportion of samples that return positive among the total tested — in the city hovering around the 3.57% mark, the government’s health bulletin said. The positivity rate, which is indicative of the ongoing spread of the infection, had remained below 1% consecutively for 82 days between December 28 and March 19.

Friday’s meeting, officials said, is scheduled to take place at 4 pm in the chief minister’s residence and is likely to touch on plans concerning containment, vaccination and hospital beds in the city to arrest the fresh Covid-19 surge. The chief minister has also directed department heads to prepare action plans regarding the same, the statement added.

“In the wake of the rising Covid-19 cases in Delhi, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has been closely monitoring the situation. Expressing grave concern over the matter, he has decided to hold an urgent meeting on April 2, 4pm onwards. Health Minister Satyendar Jain, along with his department officials, will be a part of the meeting,” read the statement issued by the government on Thursday.

It further said, “Including Delhi, the entire country is witnessing a surge in cases in the recent past. CM Kejriwal is ensuring a daily review by receiving regular updates from the officials. In furtherance to the orders given by CM Kejriwal, the health department has increased its vigilance measures, and has taken a number of monumental steps to combat Covid-19.”

Expressing concerns over violation of Covid-19 rules, such as wearing of masks and social distancing, the statement goes on to add, “At the district level, surveillance teams are overseeing that people follow Covid appropriate behaviour, the most important of them being wearing masks. Also, after orders by CM Kejriwal, a target of conducting as many as 80,000 tests has been set on a daily basis, so as to contain the spread of the virus.”

As Delhi continues being in the grip of what experts call the fourth wave of Covid-19 cases, the number of active cases in the Capital has increased exponentially from 1,404 on March 1 to 10,498 on April 1, government records showed.

Last week, state health minister Satyendar Jain had, however, ruled out the possibility of a lockdown in Delhi. Senior officials of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), on their part, maintained that at this stage, the government has plans to scale up testing, tracing, isolation, containment and vaccination drives.

Experts expressed concerns over the sharp increase in cases in Delhi.

Dr Lalit Kant, former head of the epidemiology and communicable diseases division at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said: “There is a steep increase in numbers in this particular phase of surge in cases. It strongly suggests that mutant variants of the virus can be playing a role. Delhi needs to further scale up contact tracing and tests, especially RT-PCR tests which are more accurate.”

Dr Suneela Garg, director professor of community medicines department, Maulana Azad Medical College in Delhi and member of the Lancet Covid-19 commission and vaccination task force for India, said: “Compliance is low when it comes to wearing masks, maintaining social distance and adhering to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour. That has to be taken care of at the earliest. Other than that, the government has to increase the pace of immunisation. For that, it has to invest more on mobilisation and awareness campaigns.”