NEW DELHI: With 98 more
deaths in the past 24 hours, Delhi recorded over 90 Covid fatalities in a single day for the eighth consecutive day on Thursday. The total toll in the state due to the infection has now crossed the 8,000 mark to reach 8,041.
As many as 131 deaths on a single day, the
maximum till date, was recorded on Wednesday. In November alone, over 1,500 people died due to the disease in Delhi.
One of the reasons for increased mortality is a surge in the absolute number of infections and, therefore, the number of people suffering from severe symptoms. On Thursday, Delhi recorded 7,546
fresh cases, the highest since November 13 when 7,802
cases were reported, taking the tally to over 5.10 lakh.
“Many, who can be saved, are dying due to the lack of timely intervention,” said Prakash Sinha, whose friend succumbed to
Covid-19 on Thursday evening.
Sinha said his friend, a 71-year-old man who lived in Rajendra Nagar in central Delhi, developed breathlessness in the afternoon, following which his family rushed him to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. “The hospital said it didn’t have a bed available,” Sinha claimed.
The patient’s wife found out there was an ICU bed available at PSRI Hospital in south Delhi. But, before they could reach there, that bed was taken. “I called several government hospitals to inquire about the availability of
ICU beds even as they ran from one hospital to another. But my friend died before he could find one,” Sinha said.
According to Delhi Corona App, which provides real time updates on availability of hospitals beds, 90% ICU beds with and 86% without ventilator support were currently occupied. There were no ICU beds available at Guru Teg Bahadur, Max (Shalimar Bagh and Patparganj both), Apollo, Vekateshwar, Akash, and Manipal hospitals, among others. “We are getting many requests for these beds, but there are none available,” said a senior
doctor at Manipal Hospital.
Delhi government and the Centre, both are working actively to add more ICU beds. To meet the increased demand for manpower, the state government has also allowed hospitals to rope in MBBS students, interns and dentists to assist the duty doctors.
“A temporary lockdown is the only solution to contain the crisis. If infection continues to spread at the current pace, it may become impossible to handle serious cases. The critical care specialists are overburdened and barely managing to handle the current load,” said a senior doctor.
Dr Sumit Ray, chairperson, critical care, Holy Family hospital, said, death rate due to Covid-19 has gone up in the current peak compared with the peaks witnessed in June and September. “This time around, we are seeing more seriously ill patients. Death rate is very high among people suffering from diabetes and obesity,” he said. Testing has increased, which is leading to more cases, said an official. In the past 24 hours, 62,437 people had been tested in Delhi, of which 12.1% (7,546) were
Covid-positive, he added.