Covid-19 cases are rising rapidly but do not panic, said Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday during his address today.
National Capital is expected to see 3,100 new Covid-19 cases during the day, Kejriwal added.
“Covid-19 cases in Delhi is increasing at a fast pace. But there is no need to panic. 923 cases were reported on 29 December. 1,796 cases were recorded on December 31 and 2,796 cases on January 1. Nearly 3,100 new cases are expected to be reported today. The active cases as of today stand at 6,360,” he said.
Drawing a comparison between the second wave and the present situation, he said, “Today there are about 6300 active cases. There were about 6600 cases on 27 March. But then 1150 oxygen beds were occupied, whereas today only 82 beds are occupied. Then 145 ventilators were being used, today only 5 are being used. Then there were about 10 deaths every day, today there is one or no death reported in a day.”
He said that although cases in Delhi have jumped three-fold in the last three days, most of the cases are “mild and asymptomatic” and “didn’t need hospitalisation”.
The present Covid-19 cases are “very mild” compared to the Delta variant during the second wave in April-May 2021 in Delhi, he said and appealed to people to stay responsible and follow Covid-appropriate norms. “This Covid is very mild and the Delhi government is ready and stands with you,” the chief minister said.
“On December 29, 262 beds were occupied in New Delhi’s hospital by the Covid patients. On 1 January, 247 patients were admitted in total,” he added.
Explaining how prepared the Delhi government is, Kejriwal said that there are 37,000 oxygen beds available in the city out of which only 82 oxygen beds have been occupied.
“Only 82 oxygen beds are occupied in Delhi. Today we have the preparation of 37,000 beds. Only 0.22 per cent of beds are occupied and 99.78 per cent of beds are unoccupied,” he said.