People outside a coronavirus designated hospital in New Delhi, India.
With the continues rise of coronavirus cases in the national capital, Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Friday said ramping up bed capacity and medical resources should be the topmost priority in handling the COVID-19 situation to ensure that a surge in coronavirus cases does not overwhelm the city's healthcare system.
Baijal's remarks have come after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal previously said Delhi would need 1.5 lakh beds by July 31 if people from other states start coming to the national capital for treatment.
Estimating would could be the worse situation in Delhi in terms of number of coronavirus cases, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that by the end of July 2020, it is expected that there will be 5 lakh cases of coronavirus in Delhi for which there will be a requirement of 80,000 COVID-19 beds.
Manish Sisodia said, "by June 15, there will be 44,000 cases and 6,600 beds will be needed. By 30 June we'll reach 1 lakh cases and 15,000 beds will be required. By 15 July there'll be 2.25 lakh cases and 33,000 beds will be needed. By 31 July, 5.5 lakh cases expected and 80,000 beds will be needed."
Meanwhile, Baijal, who held a meeting with Kejriwal, Health Minister Satyendar Jain and senior officers of Delhi government, said, "Our objective is to break the chain of transmission and reducing the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19".
In a statement, the L-G's office said he has asked field functionaries to ensure mobility restrictions, social distancing measures, hygienic practices, quarantine of contacts, risk communication and awareness among public on preventive and public health measures to contain the COVID-19 spread.
The L-G directed all district magistrates and deputy commissioners of police to focus on proper delineation, strict perimeter control, active house to house surveillance with special focus on high risk population for their effective management in accordance with the Centre's guidelines.
"Ramping up bed capacity and medical resources should be our topmost priority in handling the pandemic so that surge in cases doesn’t overwhelm the healthcare system," Baijal was quoted as saying in the meeting.
In the meeting, Baijal was informed that the national capital has so far reported 34,867 COVID-19 cases and of these, 12,731 people have recovered.
The statement said: "77.8 per cent of the active cases are recuperating in home isolation. 242 containment zones are currently active in Delhi. The LG was also apprised about cluster analysis and district wise trend of COVID-19".
Earlier this week, Baijal had overruled the AAP government's order for reserving Delhi government-run and private hospitals only for residents of the city during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The chief minister had also announced that his government would implement the L-G's order as this was not the time for "disagreements and politics".
(With inputs from PTI)
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