Delhi Covid-19 Cases: It was difficult to even think of the kind of numbers in Delhi today.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain today warned that the situation was critical on the Covid-19 front in the national capital. He, however, said there was no need to panic yet as there were several potential solutions to handle the situation.
Speaking at the NDTV Solutions Summit, he said the number of fresh cases coming in daily now is as much as the cumulative figure for months together. Sections of populations that escaped the last time, he said, are now being hit. Delhi is conducting one lakh tests a day, the minister said.
"The positivity rate is very high now. The numbers are increasing. It is unprecedented. It was difficult to imagine these numbers. Yesterday, Delhi had 24,375 new cases. Today, too, such a number is expected," Mr Jain told NDTV.
"There are 3-4 solutions. Look, in Delhi, we have increased the number of beds from 6,000 to 17,000 over the past few days. The expansion had been quick, although occupancy remains too high despite that," he said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called a cabinet meeting today amid a huge surge in Covid cases. Yesterday, the state government flagged a shortage in oxygen and Remdesivir, the drug administered to Covid patients under critical conditions. The government is desperately trying to scale up the number of available hospital beds, too.
Only those who require hospitalisation must get admitted, Mr Jain said today under these circumstances, pointing at the need to avoid panic even if one tests positive for Covid-19. A considerable number of infected people can stay at home, he said.
"There are no specific medicines for Corona. Only the symptoms are getting treated. So you need to observe the fever level. There are two key things about the disease: air and water. A lot of people are getting dehydrated. Anyone infected must drink four litres of liquids a day," Mr Jain said. This could be water, lemonade, coconut water, or any such thing, he said, adding that most people are not focusing on dehydration.
"Emotional outbreaks are wreaking havoc on the situation. So the patients, as well as their close ones, must stay calm," the Health Minister said.