New Delhi: Even as the daily Covid positivity rate reached close to 5 per cent on Sunday — by which time, the Graded Response Action Plan's 'Red' alert (total curfew) is supposed to kick in — Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed the Capital and noted that the current wave was much
less severe than the one propelled by the Delta variant early last year.
Comparing the number of patients requiring hospitalisations and specifically oxygenated beds, the chief minister said that the current wave is mostly throwing up patients with mild or asymptomatic disease — which has kept hospitalisations low.
He presented data to show that despite an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, oxygen bed occupancy is less than one per cent in hospitals and is very low as compared to the deadly second (Delta) wave of coronavirus in April last year.
"Currently, the number of active cases in the city is 6,360 and today (Sunday) 3,100 new cases are expected to be reported. All cases are mild and in most of them patients don't need hospitalisation," the chief minister said in a virtual press conference.
Active COVID-19 cases rose from about 2,000 on December 29, 2021 to 6,000 on January 1, but the number of patients in hospitals dipped during this period. On December 29, 2021 as many as 262 beds were occupied, while on January 1 it was only 247, he said. According to the latest health bulletin, Kejriwal
said only 82 oxygen beds are occupied and 99.72 per cent are vacant.
"There has been no major change in this number over the last three days which means no new patient required oxygen. If the need arises, the Delhi government is prepared with 37,000 such beds," the chief minister said.
"On March 27 last year, Delhi had 6,600 active cases and 1,150 oxygen beds were occupied. As many as 145 patients were on ventilator support compared to five now," he said. Delhi would record around 10 deaths a day during that period. At present, the daily fatality count is zero or one, he said.
The CM reiterated that there is no need to panic as most patients are asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms and do not need hospitalisation. The capital reported 2,716 cases on Saturday, the highest single-day rise since May 21, and the positivity rate mounted to 3.64 per cent. "On April 1, when the city last logged around 2,700 cases, around 1,700 oxygen beds were occupied and 231 patients were on ventilator support," he said.
"I am presenting this data to show that the coronavirus cases at present are very mild and there is no need to panic. We have to act responsibly, wear masks, wash hands
regularly and follow social distancing norms," the chief minister said, adding only 0.22
per cent beds have been occupied so far. "The variant (Omicron) is very very mild and your government will always, no matter what, stand with you, please do not panic," Kejriwal said in the statement.
Even though the GRAP stipulates the strictest of restrictions if the positivity rate remains above 5 per cent for two consecutive days, the DDMA and the Delhi Health Department have said they are not looking to immediately impose stricter curbs given the severity of this wave.