Running Short Of COVID Beds, Delhi, Mumbai Adds Hotels, Banquet Halls To Accommodate Patients
Delhi on Wednesday recorded the biggest single-day jump in its COVID-19 tally with 17,282 new cases, while over 100 people died from the infection.
Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that COVID-19 cases are rising very rapidly in the national capital and "there is no slowdown".
Grim readings
According to the latest health bulletin, 104 new fatalities were recorded on Wednesday pushing the death toll to 11,540.
These record new positive cases came out of record 1.08 lakh tests conducted the previous day.
The highest single-day spike in Delhi till the third wave of the pandemic - 8,593 cases, was reported on November 11 in 2020, while on November 18, the city had recorded 131 COVID-19 deaths, the highest single-day fatality count till date.
The record spike in new infections is putting a strain on the health system as hospitals are rapidly running out of beds and ICUs.
Amid a massive surge in cases, the Delhi government on Wednesday issued an order to ramp up the number of beds reserved for COVID-19 patients at its hospitals and attach banquet halls and hotels to these facilities.
The move will add around 3,269 beds in COVID health facilities in the national capital.
Beds increased
Earlier, the Delhi government had said that the number of beds in hospitals is being increased. In GTB Hospital, where the number of ICU beds with ventilators has been increased from 100 to 128 and ICU beds without ventilators from 100 to 272.
At the SGM Hospital, the number of COVID beds has gone up from 20 to 48.
Overall, the number of beds across 11 hospitals has gone up from 4,503 to 5,221, ICU beds with ventilators from 628 to 656 and ICU beds without ventilators from 687 to 874.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that there are enough hospital beds available.
"Currently we have 13,000 beds and there is no shortage of ventilators. Patients from Delhi and other states are being admitted."
The minister said the Central government has provided 1,100 beds and talks are going on to add more hospital beds.
He said that 286 out of 5,525 COVID Care Centres are occupied in Delhi.
"The numbers of hospital beds (for availability) is being revised twice a day on the Delhi Corona App," he said adding that people should visit hospitals only after going through the app.
Mumbai doing the same
In Mumbai, which is now the second worst-affected city after Delhi, the BMC is planning to acquire rooms in four-star and five-star hotels to shift Covid-19 patients who have recovered in Covid hospitals and no longer need critical care.
These will be designated as "step down facilities" and will act as extensions of major private hospitals.?
Hospitals can charge up to Rs 4,000 for these facilities and Rs 6,000 for a room if anyone is staying with the patient.
Covid positive people who are asymptomatic can also use these hotels.
"Private hospitals and linked up hotels must have proper understanding and seamless coordination," said the BMC.
