Delhi adds 1,300 ICU, 2,000 regular beds in 2 weeks

New Delhi: With the third wave of the pandemic finally showing signs of ebbing, the Delhi government and the Central authorities have managed to add 1,300 ICU beds and 2,000 regular beds for COVID-19 patients in just the last two weeks, an official here said on Wednesday.

The official added that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been monitoring the situation, and added that all efforts are being made by the Delhi government to bring down the mortality rate. The death rate stood at 1.83 per cent on Wednesday.

The national Capital recorded over 100 COVID-19 deaths for the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday but it dipped to 99 on Wednesday.

"A total of 1,300 ICU beds and 2,000 non-ICU beds for COVID-19 patients have been added in Delhi in the past two weeks, with the maximum 232 ICU beds in GTB Hospital. In Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital, 200 ICU beds have been added in the same period," the official said.

He also said that there are currently 9,000 normal beds and over 1,000 ICU beds available for coronavirus patients in the national capital.

During a COVID-19 review meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, Kejriwal had requested the PM to reserve 1,000 ICU beds for Delhiites in Centre-run hospitals like AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital.

And given that the health infrastructure has been ramped up, L-G Anil Baijal on Wednesday directed officers to ensure that all home isolation patients are monitored effectively and taken to hospitals in time before the severity of symptoms peaks.

Sources said the lieutenant governor also asked officers to ensure strict monitoring of COVID-19 patients under home isolation, amid instances of some people not following isolation norms. According to official data, there were 22,246 COVID-19 patients under home isolation in the national capital till Tuesday.

In a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Baijal asked officials to enhance surveillance, strictly enforce containment measures, increase testing and scale-up requisite medical infrastructures like ICU and ventilators.

In the same meeting, the CM sought a fresh audit of the death figures in the city.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Satyendra Jain said that on Tuesday, 20 ventilators were added to beds at Burari Hospital which will allow for ICU treatment and said that the hospital is fully equipped to treat patients. The Minister while visiting the hospital in Burari, inaugurated the biomedical and surgical waste management site. The Burari hospital will add another 30 ventilators by Saturday, increasing the capacity to 50, Jain said.