The Delhi government will monitor and provide senior citizens, who are in the COVID-19 high-risk category, with pre-emptive assistance through 24x7 call centres across the city as cases continue to soar.
Chief Secretary Vijay Dev on Wednesday ordered the creation of a database of senior citizens from details already available with various government departments as well as the collection of more details related to such individuals as well as their respective medical conditions. As on May 20, the department recorded death rate of 26.71% for those aged between 50 and 59 and 52.27% for those aged between 60 and above.
According to the daily bulletin, as of June 3, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi were recorded at 23,645.
This database will then be analysed to create a list or Dashboard of “at risk” individuals — especially those with pre-existing health conditions making them more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection — before passing them on to Block Level Officers (BLOs). There are over 13,800 such BLOs.
District in-charges to establish call centres which will function round the clock in three shifts with these BLOs as well as two to three paramedics contacting the senior citizens in their jurisdiction over the phone.
“If any adverse development or symptoms of COVID-19 are noticed in any senior citizen” or even their family members, a team of the Health Department will reach out to them for immediate assistance.
According to the order, a Central Control Room will also be created by the Health Department to provide telemedicine services to the local control rooms.