Coronavirus: Delhi had recorded its highest daily cases on Friday at 5,891. (File)
Amid a record surge in Delhi's daily COVID-19 tally, the number of severely ill coronavirus patients is increasing. This reflects in the 100 per cent occupancy of ICU beds with ventilators in Delhi biggest and most prestigious private hospitals; very few are available in its government hospitals.
Currently 66 per cent, or 825 out of a total 1,244, of Delhi's total ICU beds with ventilators are occupied, shows this morning's data on Delhi government's mobile app on all Covid-related information - Delhi Corona.
Max Healthcare, Fortis, Apollo and Batra are among the biggest private hospitals in Delhi. According to the app, all the 84 ICU beds with ventilators in these facilities were occupied at 8am this morning.
Government hospitals also facing very heavy caseload of severely ill patients, with only few beds ICU-ventilator beds now vacant.
At the country's premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences-New Delhi only 5 out of 50 ICU beds with ventilators were available. The situation was worse at Safdarjung - Delhi's largest government hospital - with only 1 bed out of 54 vacant, while only 11 out of 200 ICU-ventilator beds were available at the 900-bed Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, a Covid-only facility.
Delhi recorded 5,664 new Corona cases in the last 24 hours. This was the fifth consecutive day that Delhi recorded over 5,000 cases, after a week of recording 3,000-4,000 cases in a day.
In this backdrop, the number of Covid patients with severe symptoms has doubled in the past few days, doctors have said.
Medical experts and Delhi government have said the worsening air pollution in the national capital - 40 per cent of which is because of stubble burning - is contributing to the spike in coronavirus cases.
Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, group medical director of Max Healthcare, told NDTV, "One problem is that people are not following Covid appropriate behaviour regarding masks. This is compounded by winter and the issue of air pollution. Those who already have respiratory issues like asthma, bronchitis and heart diseases are suffering in a much worse manner. A recent government report had predicted that Delhi would see up to 15,000 cases per day in winter and going by the trend the numbers are headed that way. I can't pinpoint on how high it will go but the spike will remain till end of November, the way cases are going."
A report by the National Centre for Disease Control, released on October 8, had projected that Delhi may see up to 15,000 daily Covid cases in winter, out of which 3,000 would need to be hospitalised every day.
At a recent high-level meeting with Union Health Ministry officials, the Delhi government had blamed pollution, besides falling temperature, office clusters and increased mobility amid the festival season, for the Covid surge.
Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain dismissed reports of a third wave of coronavirus infections in Delhi, and maintained that the surge was because of immediate testing of close contacts, which has doubled from 6-7 earlier, and tighter contact tracing.
Mr Jain, who himself fought off Covid-19 in July, has also compared masks with vaccine and said people should not venture out without one.
Hospital beds are filling up fast in the backdrop of a report by the National Centre for Disease Control which said the city may see up to 15,000 daily cases in the winter out of which nearly 3,000 every day would need to be admitted in a hospital.
Of the total 15,784 beds available for Covid patients in Delhi, 9,143 were vacant at 8am on November 2.