Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : June 29, 2020 9:39 AM IST
Kejriwal said that testing has increased by four times in Delhi since the beginning of the pandemic.
India today recorded close to 20,000 COVID-19 cases in a single day for the first time on Sunday. This takes the tally to 5,28,859, while the death toll rose to 16,095, according to the Union Health Ministry data. There are 19,906 new cases, while 410 persons died in the last 24 hours. This is the fifth consecutive day that novel coronavirus infections have increased by more than 15,000 cases. The country saw a surge of 3,38,324 infections from June 1 till date. The number of active cases stands at 2,03,051,while 3,09,712 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, according to the updated data in the Home Ministry website. The total number of cases in Delhi stand at 80,188 and the death toll 2,558 deaths.
Delhi is the second worst-hit region after Maharashtra in terms of both number of cases and deaths. COVID-19 positive cases have spiked here especially after easing of lockdown restrictions. In a bid to contain the further spread of the disease, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has come out with a 5-point game plan. Raking up his slogan of "Corona harega aur Delhi Jeetega", Kejriwal on Saturday asserted that his government has adopted 'five weapons' to fight the virus - ramping up bed capacity, testing, survey and screening, providing oximeter and plasma therapy. Let us take a look at how these can help Delhiites combat the pandemic.
The Chief Minister said that the capital city currently has the capacity of 13,500 beds, out of which 7,500 are vacant and only 6,000 are occupied. "We are arranging more beds in case the need arises in future. We will not sit idle." According to the Delhi government's data, 6,221 beds are currently occupied in the hospitals out of a total capacity of 13,411 beds, 1,504 in the dedicated COVID Care Centres and 344 in the dedicated COVID Health Centre. Over 16,249 people are in home isolation. The 10,000-bed Sardar Patel COVID care centre, which will treat mild and asymptomatic cases, will also provide a huge relief to the Delhiites. It is reportedly one of the largest COVID-19 care centre in the world.
Kejriwal said that testing has increased by four times in Delhi since the beginning of the pandemic. He added that 20,000 tests are being conducted daily, the highest in the country. In total, 4,59,156 tests have been performed so far. On Thursday, Delhi conducted 21,144 tests. Testing has gone up by four times and Delhi is now following a strategy of very aggressive testing and isolation. Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said that over six lakh test kits have been procured and testing is being conducted across the capital on a large scale.
Experts have suggested the use of pulse oximeter at COVID care centres and for those in home isolation for the detection of blood oxygen saturation as an early warning sign in COVID -19 patients. Kejriwal said that oximeters have been provided to all the coronavirus patients who are in home isolation to keep a check on their oxygen levels and alert the medical team if they require oxygen or need to be shifted to the hospital. According to him, the government has bought 4,000 oxygen concentrators to ensure that there are enough oxygen cylinders in the hospitals.
Plasma therapy turned out to be a life saver for people in the capital. According to Kejriwal, since the start of plasma therapy at LNJP hospital, the number of deaths has reduced to less than half as compared to earlier. This therapy involves plasma transfusion. Recovered patients form antibodies that provide immunity. Plasma from such patients are taken and given to patients with severe complications. This is a life saving procedure.
Proper survey and screening can help contain the spread of this contagion. It will help identify and isolate infected people. This will significantly bring down transmission. Delhi authorities have started a mammoth campaign of conducting a serological survey of 20,000 people starting from yesterday in the capital city. It is a diagnostic method to identify antibodies, which are created by the immune system when someone is infected with the virus. This will go a long way in preventing the spread of the disease.
(With inputs from Agencies)
