COVID-19 situation improved after Centre's intervention: Delhi BJP chief

The Arvind Kejriwal government “turned its back” on Delhiites amid the COVID-19 pandemic and Union Home minister Amit Shah had to take over command of Delhi to provide proper healthcare facilities to the people, Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said on Sunday (June 28).

The COVID-19 situation has improved in Delhi after the intervention of the Modi government, he said as he lamented Chief Minister Kejriwal’s admission that death toll increased in Delhi due to “lack” of beds for coronavirus-infected people in June.

The statement comes on a day when Delhi recorded 2,889 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the tally in the city over the 83,000-mark, while the death toll from the disease mounted to 2,623, authorities said.

On June 23, the national capital had reported the highest single-day spike of 3,947, cases till date. Recently, Delhi had eclipsed Mumbai as the city worst-hit by the pandemic in the country.

Sixty-five fatalities have been recorded in the last 24 hours, the Delhi health department bulletin said on Sunday.

Related news: Delhi conducts 20,000 COVID tests daily, has 13,500 beds ready: Kejriwal

The death toll from COVID-19 in Delhi stood at 2,558 on Saturday. The bulletin said the death toll from coronavirus infection has risen to 2,623, and the total number of cases mounted to 83,077.

Kejriwal, in a virtual briefing on Saturday, acknowledged that death figures had increased due to shortage of beds for COVID-19 patients in the first week of June. However, in the past one month his government significantly increased the number of beds and there was no lack of it presently, he had said.

Hitting out at the chief minister, the Delhi BJP chief said, “Right from the beginning, Kejriwal used to say that he had arranged 30,000 beds for COVID-19 patients, but when the patients needed beds, those beds became invisible,”

“The Kejriwal government had turned its back on the people and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had to take over command of Delhi and proper health facilities were provided to the people,” Gupta said.

With the intervention of the Modi government, the coronavirus situation has improved in Delhi, he claimed.

Related news: Serological survey to begin in Delhi, Mumbai to determine COVID-19 spread

Steps like reducing the rate of testing to price capping of COVID-19 treatment, mapping of containment zones, new test centres, were taken following the Centre’s intervention, he said.

Around 20,000 people are being tested every day and six lakh people are to be tested through rapid antigen kits for free. A total of 9,937 beds were available in Delhi on 14 June, and now with the efforts of the Modi government, almost 30,000 beds have been arranged in Delhi, he claimed.

Also, about 8,000 beds have been prepared for COVID-19 patients in railway coaches and the DRDO is building a specialized hospital with 250 ICU beds with ventilators.

A 10,000-bed facility has almost been completed at in Chhatarpur, he added.

(With inputs from agencies)