Delhi govt closely watching COVID-19 situation; Kejriwal's review meeting on Friday

The Delhi government is closely monitoring the coronavirus situation, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said, adding Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a review meeting on the matter on Friday. Bharadwaj also assured people that there was no need to panic since the hospitalisation rate was low.

Delhi's COVID-19 cases climbed to 300 on Wednesday, the first time since August 31 last year, while the positivity rate mounted to 13.89 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. Two more Covid-related deaths were also reported, it said.

Bharadwaj interacted with reporters after holding a meeting on Thursday to review the COVID-19 situation in the national capital amid the spurt in cases. The meeting was attended by the director general of health services and various other senior officials of the city health department, medical directors of Delhi government-run hospitals, epidemiologists, virologists and a genome sequencing expert, he said.

The review meeting on Friday will include a presentation of the results of the mock drill done recently at Delhi government-run hospitals, which will be shown to the chief minister, the minister said.

The officials will also be sharing information on how other states are dealing with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases and the impact it has had on their citizens, during the meeting, Bharadwaj told reporters. Despite the high positivity rate, the government has urged citizens not to panic, as tests are being conducted in small numbers. The government has also assured the public that it is taking all necessary measures to contain the spread of the virus and provide timely medical attention to those in need, the health department said in a statement.

''We reviewed the situation today during the meeting. We have asked hospitals to advise coronavirus tests to those who are symptomatic. People visiting hospitals should wear masks,'' he said.

The minister said the health department will brief Kejriwal on Friday on the situation following which he will issue directions.

''The chief minister will also be briefed about the Covid situation in other states and how they are tackling the rise in cases,'' he added.

Bharadwaj also said genome sequencing of samples found positive during testing, is also being carried out, but ''nothing worrisome'' has been found till now. Sharing details on the two deaths reported on Wednesday, the health minister said they were elderly patients, aged 77 and 65, who had comoribidities, and were not at Delhi government-run hospitals.

One was admitted at the Norhtern Railway Hospital and the other at Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, he said, adding, both were admitted in ICUs. Both had comorbdities, besides Covid, one had a kidney disease and the other had a heart ailment, he said. In both cases, it can be said that primary cause of death was not coronavirus, Bharadwaj told reporters.

If anyone suffers acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) then the system goes on alert that Covid may cause fatality. But, such a case has not come up, ''so it is not a panic situation'', he said.

The advisory that was issued recently by the Delhi government will be in place, and ''we are also monitoring, how this new variant is behaving or growing in other states'', the minister said.

''We are closely monitoring it, and soon as we fin anything, we will also issue another advisory,'' he said, adding, ''we will increase testing on a need basis''.

The data shared in Wednesday's bulletin also showed that 2,160 Covid tests were conducted on Tuesday.

With the new cases, Delhi's COVID-19 tally increased to 20,09,361 on Wednesday, while the death toll due to the viral infection stood at 26,526.

Fifty-four of the 7,986 beds are occupied in the dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in the city, while 452 patients are in home isolation, the health department said on Wednesday.

The city has been witnessing an increase in the number of daily Covid cases over the last few days amid a sharp rise in H3N2 influenza cases in the country. The number of fresh cases had seen a decline over the last few months in Delhi. It had dropped to zero on January 16, the first time since the pandemic broke out. Health Minister Bhardwaj during the briefing also emphasised the need for early detection to curb the spread of the virus.

He shared information about the daily sewage testing being conducted in Delhi to detect any signs of the virus. ''We have been testing the sewage in Delhi for the last two-three weeks, and we have been getting signs of Corona,'' he said.

''Early detection is key in curbing the spread of the virus, and we are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to detect any potential outbreaks,'' the minister added.

The Minister also spoke about the advisory issued by the central government, which highlighted six states where COVID-19 cases are increasing -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka.

He noted that there is a pattern to the spread of the virus in metropolitan areas, such as Mumbai and Delhi, with cases often increasing in Delhi a few weeks after a surge in Maharashtra. As both cities are major hubs for international travel, he urged citizens to continue following COVID-19 guidelines and protocols to prevent further spread of the virus.

During the Thursday meeting, hospital administration was instructed to maintain its preparations with full promptness. If needed, the number of COVID-19 beds can be increased to several thousand using the resources of the hospitals and its surroundings, as was done during the previous surge in cases, the statement said.

Bhardwaj emphasised the importance of wearing masks for those with flu-like symptoms or those visiting hospitals.

He added that the city government had already conducted a mock drill to review the preparations regarding oxygen cylinders and LMOs within Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)