New Delhi: Calling the COVID-19 situation in the national capital “very serious”, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 18 seeking help for beds and oxygen for coronavirus patients.
The chief minister has also called an emergency cabinet meeting, NDTV has reported.
Delhi on Saturday recorded the biggest jump in its daily COVID-19 tally with 24,375 fresh cases, and 167 people died due to the disease in the last 24 hours, while the positivity rate also shot up to 24.56 – meaning every fourth sample being tested in the city is turning out to be positive.
A day ago, 19,486 COVID-19 cases and 141 related deaths were reported in the city. The city is under a weekend lockdown.
Kejriwal also requested Prime Minister Modi that at least 7,000 central government hospital beds out of the 10,000 in Delhi be reserved for COVID-19 patients.
“The COVID situation has become very serious in Delhi. There is huge shortage of beds and oxygen,” he wrote.
“We are making all efforts at our level. Your help is needed,” he added.
A health worker in Delhi on April 18, 2021. Photo: PTI
He thanked the prime minister for the 500 ICU beds being readied in Delhi by the DRDO and urged him to raise the number of these beds to 1000.
Earlier in the day, the chief minister said that less than 100 ICU beds are available in the national capital where over 25,500 new cases have been reported.
Pointing out that the positivity rate has gone up from 24% to 30% in just 24 hours, he said due to fast pace in increase of COVID-19 infections, hospital beds and oxygen for patients are rapidly depleting in the city.
According to PTI, Kejriwal also spoke to Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday morning stressing that the situation is worsening every moment, and more beds are required in the Delhi hospitals. He added that fewer than 100 ICU beds are vacant across Delhi’s hospitals.
Passengers wait to board buses for their native places at Kaushambi Bus Terminal, during weekend lockdown imposed in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases across the country, in Ghaziabad, Saturday, April 17, 2021.
The Kejriwal government has filed an FIR against airlines like IndiGo, Vistara, Spice Jet and Air Asia for allegedly not checking any passenger coming from Maharashtra for a negative RT-PCR report, News18 has reported.
80% of beds to be reserved for COVID-19 patients
The Delhi government on Sunday directed all nursing homes and private hospitals providing COVID-19-related treatment in the national capital to reserve at least 80% of their ICU and ward bed capacity for coronavirus patients.
The order issued by the medical superintendent, nursing homes mentioned that the occupancy of ICU beds and ward beds for coronavirus patients in 115 private hospitals has reached “almost 100% and 90%” respectively.
“Therefore, to further augment bed capacity, all nursing homes and private hospitals providing COVID-related treatment are directed to reserve 80 per cent of their ICU beds and ward beds for the treatment of coronavirus patients,” the order said.
“The Delhi government in next two-three days will come up with 6,000 beds at Yamuna Sports Complex, Radha Swami Satsang Beas premises and schools. It is also arranging high flow oxygen beds for the patients,” Kejriwal additionally told reporters.
Railway help
The Delhi government has also requested the Railways to deploy COVID-care coaches in two stations.
Delhi chief secretary Vijay Kumar Dev has written to the railway board chairman Suneet Sharma to arrange up to 5,000 beds by deploying COVID-care coaches at the Shakur Basti and the Anand Vihar stations in view of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the national capital.
India reported a record 261,500 new coronavirus cases and 1,501 deaths on Sunday, while active cases have surpassed the 18-lakh mark, the health ministry data stated.
Delhi HC limits activity
The Delhi High Court on Sunday issued an office order stating that from April 19 onwards it will only take up “extremely urgent matters” filed this year.
The order issued by the High Court’s Registrar General Manoj Jain also said that other pending routine or non-urgent matters and those cases filed or listed before the court between March 22, 2020 and December 31, 2020 shall not be taken up for now and would be adjourned en bloc.
“In case of any extreme urgency, the request in the pending matters may be made on the already notified designated link,” the order said.
(With inputs from PTI)