Increase Covid-19 testing capacity, Delhi govt orders labs

Delhi has been struggling to contain a surge in Covid-19 cases and recorded the highest single-day spike of 2,224 cases on Sunday. The national capital now has more than 41,000 cases.

The Delhi government on Monday ordered private and government laboratories to work at full capacity and increase their scale of testing for Covid-19, according to ANI.

According to the Delhi government order, private labs will have to give results of Covid-19 test within 48 hours. (HT Photo)

According to the order, private labs will have to give results within 48 hours. On Sunday, Delhi’s rate of testing stood at 14,390 per million of the population.

Delhi has been struggling to contain a surge in Covid-19 cases and recorded the highest single-day spike of 2,224 cases on Sunday. The national capital now has more than 41,000 cases.

According to the Delhi government’s projections, the capital could need 5.5 lakh beds for Covid-19 patients by the end of July.

Monday’s order comes a day after Union home minister Amit Shah took stock of the pandemic in Delhi at a high-level meeting with Union Health minister Harsh Vardhan, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and officials of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).

After the meeting, the Centre announced series of measures to control the spread of Covid-19 in Delhi, including conducting a comprehensive door-to-door health survey in all containment zones, doubling the tests by Tuesday followed by three-fold increase within a weeks’ time, earmarking 500 railway coaches with 8,000 beds and asking private hospitals to earmark 60% of beds for Covid-19 affected patients at lesser rates as well as formation of two committees to look into hospitals related issues.

Later Sunday evening, Shah also met mayors of Delhi’s three municipal corporations along with Kejriwal, Lt Baijal Vardhan and senior officials and asked all of them to “work together” and implement the slew of measures decided in the morning to augment Covid-19 testing and treatment facilities in Delhi.