Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday urged people to not rush to hospitals when diagnosed with mild symptoms of the Covid-19.
“90 per cent of people have recovered through home isolation in the past. Upon testing positive, people shouldn’t rush towards getting hospitalised. Fever or any other mild symptom can be treated through home isolation. Until the time one is not advised by the doctor for hospitalisation, they must refrain from going to the hospitals,” he said.
Jain cautioned that occupancy of beds by mild cases which can be treated at homes would lead to a crisis of beds in the national capital.
“In case mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic patients rush to the hospitals, the ones who have been advised and are facing severe symptoms might face some problems in accessing the beds,” the minister said.
“If non-sick people occupy beds, no space will be left for the severely sick. I appeal to you all to only go to the Hospital when you feel the need,” he added.
The crisis of beds is already reigning in Delhi as most of the hospitals are showing full occupancy, especially the ICUs.
According to the Delhi Corona app, out of 1,177 Covid ICU beds with ventilators, only 79 were vacant, while 348 out of 2,130 COVID ICU beds without ventilators were vacant till 2 pm on Wednesday.
Also, out of the total 13,680 beds, 9,041 were occupied.
Reeling under the fourth wave of COVID-19, the national capital on Tuesday recorded the highest-ever spike of 13,468 cases and 81 deaths due to the infection
However, Jain assured that the designated Covid beds have been increased from 6 thousand to 13 thousand in the city while more are being added consistently. “Orders have been given to escalate the beds. We are increasingly adding more beds,” he said.
The health minister also informed that the Delhi government is in dialogue with the Centre to increase bed capacity in central government-run hospitals. “During the last peak, 4100 beds were available with the central government. Today the count is 1100. We have requested them to increase the beds and discussions are being held daily,” he said.