Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said nearly 1,000 beds for treatment of coronavirus patients in the national Capital are free as most of them are recovering at home.
“Less and less people in Delhi are now requiring hospitalisation, more and more people are getting cured at home,” he tweeted. “Whereas there were around 2,300 new patients daily last week, no [number] of patients in hospital has gone down from 6,200 to 5,300. Today, 9,900 corona beds are free.”
Kejriwal’s comments came as Delhi inches towards 1 lakh coronavirus cases. The Capital reported 2,505 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 97,200 cases, according to a health bulletin issued by the Delhi government on Saturday. With 55 deaths in the last 24 hours and 26 older fatalities included in the cumulative figure, the toll crossed the 3,000-mark and now stands at 3,004.
The recovery rate stood at 70.2%, with 25,940 active cases in the city. Meanwhile, the national recovery rate is 60.81%.
The chief minister on Saturday said that the efforts of citizens were yielding results in tackling the health crisis. “The hard work of two crore people of Delhi is paying off,” he tweeted. “Congratulations to all corona warriors on Delhi’s recovering rate crossing 70%. Now all of us have to work harder to defeat corona.”
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted that the positivity rate in Delhi has reduced to 10.58% after rising to 36.94%.
All India Institute Of Medical Sciences Director Randeep Guleria told PTI that if the situation remained the same, the city will pass the peak in August. “If the number of cases in Delhi continues to be static or decreases over the next few weeks, and the decline is at a sustained pace, then we can say that we may pass the peak in August,” he added. “But that can only happen if people continue to maintain social distancing and take prescribed precautions and there is a strict implementation of containment measures even as lockdown measures are eased.”
However, he warned that a lapse could lead to rise in infections. “In some cities there was a decline in trend, but once the lockdown was lifted people did not follow the dos and don’ts and this led to a surge in cases. So, there is no space for complacency.”
Mahesh Verma, head of a Delhi government committee tasked with strengthening the preparedness of hospitals, said the city could flatten the curve of new infections in August.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!