Govt tells district admins to file daily Covid-19 reports

With Covid-19 cases rising rapidly in the national capital, the Delhi government has directed all districts to be on alert, especially in the coming week. District officials have been asked to take extra care for the treatment of patients as well as conduct special awareness drives.

A senior official of the Delhi government’s health department said that all hospitals have been directed to submit daily health reports of patients admitted with Covid-19 and the severity of symptoms in patients being treated at outpatient departments (OPDs).

“We are holding regular meetings with the districts and hospital heads. The consolation is that while cases are high, the severity of infection continues to be mild and people are largely getting better without needing to be admitted to hospitals,” the official said.

District magistrate (southwest) Hemant Kumar said that the administration is focusing on conducting regular awareness drives and meetings with residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) to ensure that people follow Covid protocols in crowded places to control the spread of infection.

“Cases are rising, and we are conducting regular meetings with RWAs and market associations to communicate how infections can be controlled. Our health teams are also available for patients who are in home isolation,” said Kumar.

Senior officials of the east district also said that the administration was on alert mode to ensure infections are under control.

“We are specifically focusing on vulnerable sections, including senior citizens, people with co-morbidities and children. We are also encouraging targeted testing, which is also a reason behind the high positivity rate,” district magistrate (east) Anil Banka said.

Senior doctors in hospitals said that while the positivity rate in the city is spiking, the number of admissions is low, and the symptoms are mild to moderate. They, however, said that while there was no reason for panic, people must adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour and wear masks in crowded spaces.

“The symptoms that we are seeing are mild and, in this variant, the lungs are not involved. Having said that, people need to mask up, especially in indoor spaces and crowded areas, and follow social distancing to avoid catching the infection,” said Dr BL Sherwal, medical superintendent, Safdarjung Hospital.

Dr Subhash Giri, medical director, Lady Hardinge Medical College, said that while the cases are rising, the peak is yet to come. He said that he is expecting the peak to be recorded sometime in the next three or four weeks, However, he also stressed that there was no reason to panic.

“This is a mild strain. The hospital admissions are on the lower end and people are recovering after mild symptoms within five to seven days. My suggestion to people would be to watch out for symptoms such as fever and cough and consult a doctor if they have pre-existing medical conditions, just to be on the safe side,” said Dr Giri.