Covid-19 Delhi update: Fresh surge in coronavirus infection leads to a rise in hospitals’ bed occupancy

As the number of daily Coronavirus cases in the national capital rises, the bed occupancies for such patients in hospitals have also seen a surge. In the last one week, the occupancy has increased to 14 per cent from earlier 9.8 per cent, a report by The Indian Express noted. To be sure, as of March 18, 794 people were admitted to hospitals after getting COVID-19 infection, an increase of 41 per cent from 564 patients being admitted to Delhi hospitals on March 12. A steep rise has also been seen in the number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi and experts are now concerned about the increase, and are, therefore, urging people to comply with the norms and guidelines for prevention and stick to using masks.

As many as 3,193 new infection cases have surfaced in Delhi since March 12. Citing Dr. D K Sharma, AIIMS medical superintendent, the report noted that the rise in cases is something in line with the “normal epidemiological curve” that any infectious disease follows. As people are tired of restrictions (which have been placed on and off for a year now), they have started to come out. People coming out in the open after staying indoors resulted in an increase in the number of coronavirus cases. It is to note that 820 of the 5,711 beds kept for the COVID-19 patients in hospitals are now occupied. Also, the number of people in home isolation has also gone up to 1,519. People taking treatments in their homes were earlier 1,097.

According to a senior consultant at Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Apollo Hospitals, Dr. Rajesh Chawla, despite the absence of severe symptoms in patients, they need some monitoring due to certain parameters and thus, people are being admitted to hospitals.

On Friday, Delhi witnessed an addition of 716 new cases and four deaths. This has taken the total caseload to 6,46,348 and the death toll is now at 10,953. With 77,352 tests conducted in the city in the last 24 hours, 0.93 per cent positivity rate has been noted. The cases are likely to increase in the coming days on the back of festivities, said Dr. S K Sarin, head of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS). Sarin said that people need to remain careful and restrain themselves from attending mass gatherings.