New Delhi: COVID-19 rapid response centre was inaugurated on Wednesday at a leading Delhi government-run coronavirus facility, bolstering the city's healthcare infrastructure ahead of a possible third wave of the viral disease.
The centre, which includes an ICU unit, will act as a buffer zone between the patient arrival area and the medical wards. It was opened by Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain at the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital.
Authorities at the 650-bed hospital, which played a critical role in providing Covid care during the first two waves of the pandemic, said, "We need to be prepared for a similar surge (in the future)."
For better management of patients and for matching of bed turnover to the number of patients arriving in real-time, rapid response centre is the need of the hour, a senior official of the hospital said.
The rapid response centre has been divided into two areas — a seven-bed triage area and a 23-bed ICU. All beds have multipara monitors with critical care equipment like ventilators, BIPAP machines, HFNC and crash carts, the official said.
It is fully equipped with a centralised oxygen supply and suction is available for each bed. A rapid response team, comprising critical care consultants, resident doctors, nursing staff and orderlies, and technicians will man the centre.
Patients will be provided complete critical care at the centre till bed availability is ensured in a COVID-19 ward or a Covid ICU ward, the official said.
Meanwhile, Delhi reported 35 fresh COVID-19 cases and one more fatality due to the disease on Wednesday, according to data shared by the city health department.
According to a bulletin issued by the department, 86 COVID-19 patients were discharged from city hospitals in the last 24 hours and the positivity rate stands at 0.05 per cent.
With the new cases, Delhi's COVID-19 tally has climbed to 14,37,550, of which 14,12,081 patients have either recovered, migrated or have been discharged. The death toll due to the viral disease has gone up to 25,080 and the case fatality rate stands at 1.74 per cent, the bulletin said.