With the rise in the number of coronavirus cases, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain has admitted that about 50% of the cases in the capital are not traceable and is now seeking the Centre’s nod on the city being at a community spread stage.
“We can say that (there is community spread) only when [the] Centre admits it... Community spread is when there are cases in which [the] source (of infection) cannot be ascertained... Almost half of our cases are like this”, Jain said on Tuesday.
However, Delhi’s deputy chief Manish Sisodia told media that the Centre has said that there is no community spread in Delhi. Meanwhile, the numbers of positive COVID-19 cases are increasing in the national capital, resulting in a shortage of hospital beds.
Sisodia said: “By 15 June, there'll be 44,000 cases and 6,600 beds will be needed. By 30 June we'll reach 100,000 cases and 15,000 beds will be required. By 15 July there'll be 225,000 cases and 33,000 beds will be needed. By 31 July, 550,000 cases expected and 80,000 beds will be needed”.
Last week, Delhi chief Arvind Kejriwal assured that his government had invested heavily in health infrastructure in the last five years and has beds for everyone in Delhi testing positive for COVID-19.
The lockdown has been lifted across Delhi and cross-border movement has been allowed as well, even when the cases are on the rise.
While India has become the fifth-worst hit country in the world with 266,598 positive COVID-19 cases, the national capital is in third place within the country, at 29,943 cases, of which 11,357 have been discharged and 874 have died, as per data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.