Coronavirus cases rise to 13,418 in Delhi; Arvind Kejriwal says situation under control

• Most of the coronavirus patients in Delhi are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms
• Over 500 people tested positive in the national capital in last 24 hours

The coronavirus situation in the national capital is under control, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said today. The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital stood at 13,418. Over 500 people tested positive in last 24 hours.

The number of coronavirus cases in Delhi was on rise due to the relaxations in the nationwide lockdown, the chief minister added. He urged the citizens not to panic as the number of deaths was relatively low in the state. "Coronavirus is here to stay. As long as people are getting treated, there is no need to worry," Kejriwal added.

Most of the coronavirus patients in Delhi are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, the chief minister said. For those patients, the state government advised self-isolation at their residences. Over 3,000 active cases are currently being treated at home, he added.

On the brighter side, nearly 50% of the total coronavirus cases were recovered from the disease in the state, Kejriwal mentioned.

The Delhi government ramped up the healthcare infrastructure to battle against COVID-19 in the coming days. The state had nearly 4,000 beds available in government-run hospitals.

In the wake of coronavirus pandemic, the state government decided to increase the beds for COVID-19 patients in private hospitals. It directed all 117 private hospitals to reserve at least 20% of their total bed strength to deliver coronavirus patients.

Earlier, around 650 beds were available for coronavirus patients across the states. The number of beds in the private hospitals are now increased by 2,000 to treat COVID-19 infections, Kejrwal mentioned. "In the next few days, around 1,500 beds will also be added in GTB Hospital to treat COVID-19 disease," Delhi CM said.

He said the national capital has reported around fresh 3,500 COVID-19 cases in last one week, since the lockdown norms were eased. Nearly 2,500 patients were recovered in a week. “Fresh cases are being reported but patients are also recovering and going home," he said.

The state government issued a show-cause notice to a private hospital that denied treatment to a patient who tested positive for the virus. "It is the hospital's duty in such a case to provide an ambulance to the patient and take them to a COVID hospital," Kejriwal said.

Delhi government is working on a system where coronavirus patients can see the empty beds in the nearby hospitals for treatment.

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