Delhi third wave: City has so far recorded more than 4.3 lakh COVID-19 cases. (File)
New Delhi:
Delhi seems to have hit the peak of its third COVID-19 wave, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said indicating the number of infections is likely to come down soon.
“The first wave peaked on June 23 (3,947 cases), the second on September 17 (4,473 cases), and this is the third wave with more than 7,000 cases. We feel the number should come down after this,” Mr Jain said as the city recorded a marginal dip in its daily Covid numbers.
Delhi recorded 6,953 new infections on Saturday, after logging record 7,178 cases a day earlier – its highest so far. The city has been reporting more than 6,000 cases for the last five days, and more than 5,000 cases since October 29.
The statement comes as concern rises over availability of ICU beds in Delhi’s biggest private hospitals amid increase in patients with severe symptoms, and a stay by the High Court on Delhi government’s decision to reserve 80 per cent beds for Covid.
“We have added 1,185 beds to the ones already available. Of these, 110 are ICU beds and 685 are in private hospitals… We will now approach the Supreme Court to challenge Delhi High Court’s stay,” Mr Jain said, adding that Delhi has 3,200 ICU beds.
“Government hospitals have ICU beds but local residents, and patients who come from other states prefer private hospitals. So, there is a crunch at some healthcare facilities,” he added.
Stating that pollution was not a “cause of coronavirus disease”, Satyendar Jain attributed the rise in cases to “our collective behaviour” of not wearing masks and distancing.
“Some of it is because of the (economic) unlock. It’s also the festival season so people want to shop; markets are crowded. There are a lot of reasons (for the case rise). I appeal to people that till we get a vaccine, please consider your mask as a vaccine and wear it; it is compulsory,” he said.
Earlier this week, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also expressed optimism that the third one would end soon “like the previous two waves”. He had also urged Delhiites to make wearing mask a movement to arrest the spread of COVID-19 amid festive season and rising air pollution.
Delhi has almost 40,000 active Covid cases – more than 4.3 lakh in all – with 6,912 deaths linked to the virus. India’s coronavirus tally has surged past 85 lakh with more than 1.26 lakh deaths.
