Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Wednesday that the Delhi government has put in place a plan to prepare for the next wave of Covid-19 infections, which could necessitate nearly 40,000 oxygen beds and 10,000 ICU beds, and could disproportionately affect children and the elderly.
Experts have warned that a new wave of infections cannot be ruled out, citing the threat of more transmissible Sars-Cov-2 variants, low vaccination coverage, and the lifting of the lockdown imposed to flatten the pandemic’s curve.
“If the third wave of the coronavirus emerges, we have to be prepared in advance to fight it. Took some important decisions today at a meeting with officials: 1. We will have a special task force to protect children from the third wave; 2 There will be better arrangements than before for adequate number of beds, oxygen, and essential medicines,” Kejriwal said in a tweet after the meeting.
“In the meeting (on Wednesday), the need for advance preparations for the third wave of Covid-19 were discussed. The third wave may require Delhi to be prepared with 40,000 oxygen beds, and the Delhi government is making preparations to install 10,000 ICU beds. Along with beds and oxygen management, management of medicine was also discussed. A committee comprising officials will be formed to overlook the availability of medicines, oxygen, and beds,” the chief minister’s office later said in a statement.
Over the last four weeks, the Capital has been ravaged by a devastating wave of infections – the city’s fourth and the second nationwide since the pandemic began – with health-care resources overwhelmed and critical medical supplies like oxygen running out.
The city appears to have all but crossed this wave of infections, which began in the first week of April and has claimed over 11,000 lives – more than the previous three waves combined – with the test positivity rate hovering around 6% on Wednesday. Between April 8, when the positivity crept back above 5% on average, and May 19, the city added 11,213 more fatalities.
Kejriwal said he has directed a special task force to monitor the pattern of infection among the young and make the necessary interventions, and that he has asked officials to be on the lookout for any possible outbreak among children.
He also requested the formation of a new committee to oversee the availability of medical oxygen, medicines, and beds.
