PremiumThe Delhi government had informed on Tuesday that 96% of children in the age group of 15-17 years and 76% of those aged 12 to 14 in the national capital have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine
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Although Covid-19 cases are seeing an uptick in Delhi, the hospital admissions are low, reiterated a doctor from Delhi's Lok Nayak Hospital on Thursday. However, he stated that children below the age of 12 are at a higher risk of infections and hence, parents should get vaccinated at the earliest.
"A total of seven Covid-19 patients are admitted in LNJP at present, out of which five are adults and two are children. One child is seven-year-old and another is four-month-old. The four-month-old baby is on oxygen support, he is a bit sick. The father of this child has also been tested positive and is admitted here. If the parents have not taken the vaccine, it can cause infection to the children" he said.
Further, he encouraged the government's decision to not shut schools anymore and said that people need to follow safety guidelines to protect themselves against infection.
"The school have been closed for almost two years now, it cannot be closed anymore. Children's academic program is also very much important. All we need to do is follow the rules. If Covid preventive measures and guidelines are followed in schools properly and children wear masks, then there will definitely be infection control," said Kumar.
He said that the rate of hospitalization is very low. A total of 99% of the beds are still vacant. If cases increase, the hospital will increase the number of beds.
"The Covid-19 positivity rate in Delhi has increased by five per cent. Yesterday more than one thousand cases have come. There are a total of 250 beds reserved for Corona in LNJP, out of which there is a pediatric ward of 50 beds. If there is a need, we will increase the number of beds, but now 99% of the beds are vacant in the whole of Delhi, we have only seven patients out of 250," said the doctor.
This comes as Delhi reported 1,009 fresh cases in the 24 hours ending on Wednesday evening, the highest since 10 February.
This marks a surge of 377 infections (or 60%) as compared to the previous day. The national capital registered 632 new cases on Tuesday and the positivity rate was 4.42%.
The number of active cases has increased to 2,641 from 601 on 11 April. However, the hospitalisation rate has so far been low, accounting for less than three per cent of the total active cases.
There are 54 Covid-19 patients admitted to hospitals in Delhi at present. 1,578 are recuperating in home isolation.
The Delhi government had informed on Tuesday that 96% of children in the age group of 15-17 years and 76% of those aged 12 to 14 in the national capital have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.