New Delhi: With coronavirus cases keeping low in Delhi for the past several weeks, 11 Covid Care Centres (CCC) have been wound down while two centres still operating get a small number of visitors, officials said on Friday.
In a Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting on Thursday to review the COVID situation in the city, the authorities also discussed the continuation of Delhi Epidemic Act beyond September 30.
The meeting chaired by Lt Governor VK Saxena with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in attendance decided scaling down medical personnel and infrastructure deployed for the COVID management
in a calibrated manner as per an action plan to be prepared by Health Department, the officials said.
In a presentation during the meeting, officials informed that two CCCs are functional: one at the Ambedkar Nagar Hospital with 50 beds and the other at the Balak Ram Hospital with 25 beds.
The Ambedkar Nagar hospital had 4-5 admissions during the past three months while there was no admission at the Balak Ram Hospital during the period, the officials said.
Seven CCCs were closed and dismantled by the Delhi government and one by the Centre. Three others with a total bed capacity of 4,000 — Radha Saomi Satsang ,Chattarpur; Sawan Kirpal, Burari; and Sant Nirankari, Burari — were closed but not yet dismantled, the officials said.
The Delhi government hospitals were allowed to engage additional manpower with the rise in COVID cases in 2020.
Subsequently, COVID-19 hospitals were allowed to engage up to 25 percent additional doctors and 40 percent additional nurses and paramedics above the sanctioned strength.
This additional manpower was last extended up to June 30, 2022 for COVID as well as non-COVID hospitals.
The DDMA was asked to allow extension of hiring manpower on contractual basis against vacant posts only in COVID hospitals, till March 2023, added the officials.
Meanwhile, over 53 per cent of the Covid-related deaths reported in August in Delhi was of people who
had succumbed due to co-morbodities or other causes but the coronavirus infection was "incidental", according to official data.
As per the data shared by authorities, in cases of 70 fatalities in the month of August, COVID-19 was found as the "primary cause".
In 84 deaths in August, coronavirus infection finding was "incidental", it said.