Centre to Delhi: Improve testing, healthcare to fight 3rd COVID-19 wave

In view of the third wave of Covid19 infection underway in the national capital the Centre has advised the Delhi government to increase targeted testing and build medical care capacity to control the surge of patients incoming informed the union health ministry in a press conference on TuesdayRajesh Bhushan secretary Ministry of Health and Family welfare said that several meetings at the level of secretaries of Delhi and the Union Health and Home Ministries and between the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Delhis Health Minister Satyendra Jain have been conducted last week to discuss and pan out the strategy for control over the virus spreadIn the meetings we drew the attention of the Delhi administration to increase testing at spots with potential to increase infection like markets workplaces factories and places of religious gathering The UT administration has started acting upon it he sharedHe also said that the Delhi administration was further advised to enhance the capacity of beds oxygen and other medical equipment required for the patients care infected by the viral diseaseThe latest upsurge of Covid19 numbers has brought a collapse of healthcare facilities in the national capital For over a week there has been a rising scarcity of ICU ventilator beds across 96 hospitals in the capital city designated for the treatment of Covid19 The patients are running pillar to post just to occupy a single bedMeanwhile Dr Prof Balram Bhargava Director General Indian Council for Medical Research ICMR said that concoction of several factors such as air pollution cold weather ongoing festival and marriage season interdistrict movement coinciding with disregard of social distancing norms have led to a sharp rise in the tally of the national capitalWhen asked if the daily tally of infection would cross 15000 a day in the coming weeks Bhushan said that it cannot be predicted The adherence or disregard to preventive measures decides whether the cases would rise or fall We can predict such things any number or go by any estimate quoted by an individual Bhushan saidHowever the prediction was foresighted by the National Centre for Disease Control NCDC itself which comes under the Union Health Ministry The NCDC in a report drafted recently had warned that Delhi needs to be prepared for about 15000 Covid19 cases daily taking into account the upcoming winter season related respiratory problems large influx of patients from outside and festive gatheringsBhushan also did not reveal the stand of the Centre on the point of community transmission stage which the health experts expect to have hit the national capital Such things are based on facts figures and data We cannot announce it just like thatHis statement is in contradiction to the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan who had admitted weeks ago that India is in the throes of community transmission However he added that it is limited only to certain districts and states After Maharashtra Delhi is the second region where daily new infections of Covid19 are crossing 5000mark every dayKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever