Amid a rise in the number of coronavirus cases in Delhi over the last few days, state chief Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday gave an assurance to residents that the situation is completely under control and there is no need to panic.
Addressing a digital press conference, Kejriwal said that the number of cases is rising as the state government has doubled testing in the city.
“From 18,000-20,000 tests per day, we are now conducting around 40,000 tests. So, more people are getting identified, treated and they are being isolated to prevent them from spreading the infection to others. Today, if I decrease the number of tests, the number of daily cases will also come down and everyone will be happy. The only way to defeat COVID-19 is aggressive testing. There is nothing to be scared of”, he said.
मैं सभी को आश्वस्त करना चाहता हूं कि दिल्ली के अंदर बेड्स की कमी नहीं है।
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 5, 2020
अभी दिल्ली में 14 हज़ार बेड्स हैं जिनमें से सिर्फ़ 5 हज़ार बेड्स ही भरे हैं, और ये जानकर खुशी होती है कि उसमें हम दिल्ली के लोगों के साथ-साथ दूसरे राज्यों के अपने भाई-बहनों को भी इलाज दे पा रहे हैं। pic.twitter.com/SKbjYjI5Fj
Delhi declares war on Corona.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 5, 2020
We have doubled testing, started testing at markets, bus stands, Mohalla Clinics etc. Test, test, test. Isolate infected people and provide them good treatment.
I have told officers not to worry if the numbers increase due to multifold testing. pic.twitter.com/0F5rabHAag
From 1,358 fresh daily cases on 30 August, Delhi’s daily case count went up to 2,914 on 4 September, according to Delhi government data. A total of 4,513 people have lost their lives to the virus in the city.
Stressing that there are enough vacant beds in hospitals, Kejriwal said, “The rate of admission in hospitals has been almost constant over the past few weeks. Of the 5,000, around 1,600-1,700 beds are occupied by people coming from other states for COVID treatment. In the last five years, Delhi government improved the city’s health infrastructure in such a way that now people from across the country are coming to the Capital to get treated. In case there is a need, we will increase beds”.
According to the Delhi government's data, 36,219 tests - the most-ever so far - were conducted on Friday, 4 September. The data adds that to date, Delhi has conducted 84,251 tests per million, which is the highest in India.
Meanwhile, the national COVID-19 count has mounted to 4,023,179, while 69,561 people have succumbed to the pandemic across the country, according to Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
