Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced that coronavirus patients under home isolation in the city will be provided pulse oximeters to measure oxygen levels every few hours. He added that the government has tripled its testing levels – up from from 5,000 to 18,000 tests daily – mostly using the rapid antigen technology.
Addressing an online media briefing, Kejriwal said the supply and availability of oxygen was essential to fight the infection. “Once you are well, you can return it to the government,” he added. “Delhi government has arranged a special team with oxygen concentrators in every district. They will reach the residences of quarantined patients with concentrators if the need arises.”
The chief minister said around 6,000 people are currently in hospitals getting treated for coronavirus and nearly 12,000 are under home isolation.
With cases nearing 60,000-mark, Delhi is the second worst-affected in the country after Maharashtra. “Today there are around 25,000 active coronavirus cases in Delhi,” the chief minister said. “33,000 people have been discharged after being cured. Precisely a week ago, there were 24,000 active cases. Only 1,000 active cases have increased, it seems that the situation is getting balanced.”
Follow today’s live updates on the pandemic here.
On June 12, Kejriwal said that 5,300 beds across hospitals in Delhi were occupied and on Monday that figure had increased to 6,300. He pointed out that 900 beds were added in 10 days. “This also means that the same number of people taking admission in hospitals are also getting cured and discharged,” the Aam Aadmi Party chief said. “There are as many as 7,000 beds which are vacant. [The] centre has helped us a lot. This is not the time to fight or argue, corona will win. We should fight together.”
He also said the country was fighting a two-pronged war against China on the border as well as the virus “sent” from the neighbouring country. “Twenty of our brave soldiers did not back down, we will also not retreat and win both wars against China,” Kejriwal said. “This is not the time for politics, all of us have to fight the wars together.”
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