NEW DELHI: After six months, the Delhi government-run Lok Nayak Hospital had two days when the number of Covid-19 patients admitted to its ward came down to zero.
According to the officials, the hospital, which is touted as the country’s biggest Covid-19 treatment facility, reported no admissions of the patients who contracted the viral illness on September 21 and 22.
This is the second time in a year when the mainstay of the city’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic has witnessed such relief. “On March 15 this year, our facility reported zero patients with Covid-19,” said Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director of the hospital.
While the news is exhilarating, the top doctor cautioned against complacency, especially as the festive season is around the corner. “Masking and taking Covid-19 vaccine must be done diligently. We do not have to let down our guard,” he added.
Ever since the first case of Covid-19 was reported in Delhi in March 2020, the LNJP Hospital has been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic in the national capital. According to government data, the city government’s largest Covid-19 treatment facility has treated more than 25,000 domestic patients as well as those from foreign countries in three successive waves, the last being fueled by the Omicron variant.
Besides, the hospital claimed that it had also conducted a recorded delivery of close to 900 Covid-19 infected mothers. Recently, the hospital received an appreciation letter from the United Nations (UN) for conducting more than 1 lakh inoculations of the Covid-19 vaccine. One of the key Delhi hospitals, built during the British era, is located in central Delhi and has over 2,000 beds.
Lok Nayak was also the first hospital to be turned into a coronavirus facility soon after the first case of Covid-19 was reported in early March. Delhi on Friday recorded 95 fresh Covid-19 cases with a positivity rate of 0.96 per cent, while one more person succumbed to the viral disease, according to a health bulletin.
‘Allow unvaxxed teacher to work’
The Delhi High Court has directed a private school to allow an unvaccinated teacher to join duties after a medical board found he was at a “higher risk” of having an allergic reaction to the Covid-19 vaccine. Justice Rekha Palli noted the teacher shall always wear a mask while on the school premises and observe COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and guidelines.
The Delhi government told the court that in view of the medical condition of the petitioner, it has acceded to his request for exemption from Covid-19 vaccination as a special case.