Delhi to see 5.5 lakh COVID cases by July-end: Manish Sisodia

The national capital which has clocked in more than 17,000 COVID-19 cases so far, and has a doubling rate of 14, is estimated to have almost 5.5 lakh cases by July 31 and will need at least 80,000 beds to accommodate patients, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Tuesday (June 9).

Sisodia’s statement came after he attended a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and central government officials.

On Monday, Baijal had upended the Arvind Kejriwal government’s decision to reserve hospital beds for residents of Delhi even as the clamour for more hospital beds has intensified due to an exponential rise in infections over the past few days. The governor, who is also the chairperson of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority has called an all-party meeting later in the day.

Related news: LG overrules AAP’s two debatable COVID-related orders; Kejriwal fumes

Sisodia, however, clarified that there was no community spread in the national capital, quoting State Disaster Management Authority officials.

As per the Delhi government estimates, the cases will rise to 44,000 by June 15 and reach one lakh by June 30, while further jumping to 2.25 lakh by July 15.

Stressing that almost 50 per cent of hospital beds were occupied by those who came for treatment from outside, he said Baijal refused to reconsider his request to reserve hospital beds for Delhites.

He said to combat the future crisis, the national capital will need at least 80,000 beds by the end of July.

“We brought up this scenario during today’s meeting but nothing was discussed. We feel the only way beds may be available is if all other planned medical procedures can be put on hold for a later date and the focus is on COVID-19… we are still thinking what needs to be done,” NDTV quoted him as saying.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain earlier had said the source of infection in nearly 50 per cent of the cases reported from the city is not known.

“The expert committee, which was set up by us earlier, has said that the doubling rate is 14-15 days and currently the city has recorded 28,936 cases in total so by the end of two weeks, it is estimated to rise to 56,000,” NDTV quoted him as saying.

Related news: Kejriwal’s illness a cause of concern in COVID-hit Delhi

The national capital since June 2 has been witnessing an exponential rise in cases – over 1,000 every day. Concerned over the spike in infections, the Delhi government had earlier sealed the Union territory’s borders and after opening it on Monday, while declaring that hospital facilities will only be reserved for residents of Delhi.

The government’s decision coincided with the reopening of shopping malls, restaurants and hotels as part of the central government’s Unlock 1 initiative.