Seven hospitals made partial COVID facilities by Delhi govt

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Thursday issued an order to convert seven dedicated COVID-19 hospitals into partial Coronavirus facilities in view of improved situation in the national Capital.

"The positivity rate has dropped to 0.8 per cent from 15.26 per cent on November 7. About 85 per cent beds are vacant so the situation has improved a lot. And, so, it had been decided to make LNJP Hospital and GTB Hospital into partial COVID-19 facilities now. All services, including the OPD, will be soon resumed gradually," Health Minister Satyendar Jain told reporters.

A formal order was issued later on to make seven hospitals, including LNJP Hospital and GTH Hospital, partial COVID-19 facilities.

The other five hospitals are Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, SRHC Hospital, DCB Hospital, ASB Hospital, and SGM Hospital.

As per the order, these seven facilities in total accounted for 4,696 reserved beds for COVID-19 patients till now.

After making them partial coronavirus facilities, the number will come down to 2,140.

So, at LNJP Hospital, the number of dedicated beds would fall from 2,010 to 1,000; at GTB Hospital from 1,500 to 500; and at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, from 650 to 500, according to the order.

The reservation of COVID-19 beds in other Delhi government hospitals will remain the same, the order said.

Meanwhile, seven people who recently arrived in Delhi from the UK and tested positive for COVID-19 have been found infected with the new strain of coronavirus, officials said on Thursday.

Interacting with reporters earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said a total of 38 people have been found positive since coming to Delhi from the UK recently, and kept in a separate institutional isolation unit on the LNJP Hospital premises.

"Four such patients have been found infected with the new UK strain of COVID-19. The persons who came in their contact have been also traced and tested, and its not in them. So, only these four cases of new strain in Delhi so far," he said.

"Flights have been stopped and those who came before that are being traced and tested rigorously," he added.

A senior official in the evening said a total of seven people who have recently arrived in Delhi from the UK have been found infected with the new strain of COVID-19.

"Four of these have their addresses in Delhi, while rest are from other places," he said.

Delhi recorded 677 COVID-19 cases and 21 new fatalities on Wednesday, even as the positivity rate dropped to 0.8 per cent, authorities said.