Delhi is fully equipped to fight another wave of the coronavirus if the situation arises, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Tuesday as the city's hospitals carried out an anti-Covid drill. He oversaw the drill at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital and said the government is geared up to fight any viral disease. Sisodia also holds the health portfolio.
He said the LNJP Hospital has 2000 beds and 450 of them are fully dedicated to fighting the virus. He said if need be, all 2000 beds will be dedicated to treating coronavirus. This number can be further enhanced by 500 beds, he added.
A senior official said Sisodia visited the British-era hospital around 12 noon and spent 30-40 minutes inspecting the preparedness of the medical facility.
The drill was also carried out at the Safdarjung hospital and Apollo Hospital.
Sisodia said compared to the second wave, the availability of oxygen has increased 10 times as 5 new PSA plants have been installed in the premises. During the mock drill at LNJP, the authorities checked how patients could be shifted to different locations within five minutes.
LNJP Hospital's Medical Director Suresh Kumar told PTI that Covid guidelines need to be followed and booster doses should be taken. He claimed the hospital's response time was perfect.
The city currently has the capacity to conduct one lakh covid tests every day.
.
The city currently has over 8000 beds dedicated for COVID-19 patients. Another 25000 beds can be added to this should the need arise.
The deputy CM said in a statement that they have 6000 oxygen cylinders in reserve under the Delhi government. They have the capacity to store 928 metric tonnes of medical oxygen.
With inputs from PTI
