The Delhi government will do rapid testing for the coronavirus for one lakh people in the infection hotspots, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said at a press briefing on Tuesday. Kejriwal said his government will follow South Korea’s model and will begin large-scale testing in the Capital.
“We have ordered kits for the testing of 50,000 people,” he said. “The kits have started arriving. We have also placed orders for the rapid test of 1 lakh people. The deliveries of kits will begin by Friday. Random tests will be done at hotspots and detailed tests will also be done.”
The chief minister said the Delhi government is also following up on tracing, and will seek police help to make sure people don’t violate self-quarantine orders. He introduced a five-step plan, or the “5Ts”, chalked out by the government with consultation from experts to control the spread of Covid-19 infection in Delhi.
“The first T is testing. If you don’t test, you won’t be able to find out which houses have been affected.” Kejriwal said. “It’ll go on spreading. South Korea identified every single individual through large scale testings. We are now going to do large scale testings like South Korea.”
The second T stands for “teamwork”. “Doctors are the most important part of this team and need to be protected,” the chief minister said. The other Ts are tracing, treatment, and tracking or monitoring.
Kejriwal announced that all patients with underlying medical conditions such as heart and liver ailments, cancer, and diabetes, along with patients who are above 50 years of age, will be kept in hospitals. Meanwhile, patients below that age group, and with minor symptoms will receive treatment in hotels and dharamshalas, which will be equipped with all medical facilities. Arrangement of 8000 beds will be made for serious patients, the chief minister said.
“In this manner, if there are 30,000 active cases in Delhi, we will have arrangements for them,” Kejriwal added. “ The hospitals have been identified. 12,000 rooms in hotels will also be taken over in phases if the needs arise.
The number of novel coronavirus cases in the country rose to 4,421 on Tuesday morning, and the toll increased to 114, according to health ministry figures.
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