Arvind Kejriwal Launches "Delhi Corona" App For Info On Hospital Beds

A mobile application has been launched to help COVID-19 patients in Delhi track hospital beds and ventilators, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said this afternoon. The app - "Delhi Corona" - comes amid a worrying spike in coronavirus cases in the national capital, which has logged over 20,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

"The cases are on a rise... but we need not panic. We have made sufficient arrangements. We are launching an app today which will give everyone the status of hospital beds and ventilator availability in Delhi," the Chief Minister said during a video conference. The app is available on Google Play and all the information can also be accessed on the website - delhifightscorona.in/beds. It will be updated twice a day - at 10 am and at 6 pm. The Chief Minister also gave a WhatsApp number - 880007722 - to access the app. 

Delhi is third on the list of worst-affected states after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The total number of the containment zones jumped to 147 on Monday with 25 new zones formed in the last 48 hours.

Warning the hospitals yet again against denying beds to the COVID-19 patients, Mr Kejriwal today announced a helpline number - 1031-  which can also be used to get status of the COVID-19 beds in Delhi. 

"If you go to a hospital and you see that they are denying you a bed, please call on the helpline number - 1031. You will be connected straight to the office of the health secretary and they will assist you," he said. 

Coronavirus triggered a crisis in several countries across the world due to lack of proper health infrastructure, Mr Kejriwal said today, repeating the assertion that his government is "four steps ahead" of the highly infectious illness. 

"That being said, I say this again - that not every COVID-19 patient needs a bed. Delhi recorded more than 20,000 cases, but only around 2,600 are in hospitals currently; around 6,000-7000 are recuperating at their homes. If a doctor tells you that you illness is not severe, please listen to him. Those recovering at their homes will be helped by our special teams," he said. 

The national capital on Monday sealed its borders, including those with Uttar Pradesh's Noida and Ghaziabad and Haryana's Gurgaon, for a week, in order to give hospitals in the city time to come to grips with the coronavirus crisis.