As the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday, 17 April, has said that around 24,000 new cases have been reported in Delhi in the last 24 hours and there is a shortage of oxygen and Remdesivir.
Addressing the public, Kejriwal said, “Delhi has a limited number of ICU beds. Oxygen and ICU beds are decreasing very sharply. We are taking several steps to scale up beds capacity.”
He further said that the government hopes to add 6,000 more beds in the next two to three days.
“I hope to add 6,000 beds in two or three days. No one knows when the peak will come. Central government gave 4,100 beds in November but this time only 1,800 beds have been given. I have requested Dr Harsh Vardhan to reserve 50 percent beds for COVID patients in the Centre-run hospitals in Delhi.”Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister
Elaborating on the shortage of oxygen and Remdesivir, Kejriwal said that the Delhi government has requested Centre to augment oxygen support system and Remdesivir supply. Kejriwal said that the government is monitoring the situation closely and they will take whatever steps are required, if the situation deteriorates.
Earlier, Kejriwal had announced a weekend lockdown to curb the spread of the virus as the whole country grapples with the rising cases of COVID. On Saturday, India reported more than 2.3 lakh cases.
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