COVID-19: Case count highest in 134 days, Centre issues advisory, Delhi hospitals conduct mock drills

Mock drills were conducted at other hospitals too, including the Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra Hospital (SRHCH) and Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital. (Representative Image)

India has reported 1,805 new coronavirus cases, while the active cases have surpassed the 10,000-mark after 134 days, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on March 27.

The daily positivity rate has been recorded at 3.19 percent and the weekly positivity rate at 1.39 percent. The active cases have increased to 10,300, the data updated at 8 am stated. The health ministry reported that there were 9,433 active cases as of March 26.

In preparedness

The national capital reported 528 active cases today on March 27, according to a government health bulletin. Amid a spurt in the number of coronavirus cases in the city, Delhi government-run hospitals on March 26 carried out mock drills to assess their COVID-19 preparedness.

The Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital, believed to be the largest health facility in the national capital’s fight against COVID-19, carried out a two-hour-long mock drill.

“We assessed the patient response time. When a patient is brought to the hospital, how long does it take for us to shift him to a room? For critical patients who need to be shifted to the ICU, we have a red corridor. We checked whether all the ventilators and oxygen points were functioning. We have around 450 beds for coronavirus patients,” Dr Suresh Kumar, the medical director of LNJP Hospital, told PTI.

He added that bed occupancy for COVID-19 at the hospital was zero in the last month but a few patients have been admitted recently. “A 54-year-old patient is on a ventilator. He has diabetes while another 36-year-old patient is on oxygen support. He is suffering from pneumonia,” Kumar said.

Mock drills were conducted at other hospitals too, including the Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra Hospital (SRHCH) and Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital.

Speaking about the scarcity of oxygen in the city during the second wave of COVID-19, Dr Kumar said that adequate preparations have been made to fulfil the demands for all beds at the hospital. “Right now there is a sufficient arrangement of oxygen in our hospital. There are two big oxygen plants, and apart from that there are five PS plants. We are producing 45 tonnes of oxygen every day by ourselves without any external support, which is sufficient for our two thousand beds,” he said.

Source: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/covid-19-case-count-highest-in-134-days-centre-issues-advisory-delhi-hospitals-conduct-mock-drills-10316291.html