NEW DELHI: Delhi Health and Family Welfare Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday claimed that the city’s positivity rate is currently less than half of what it was on November 7 which saw the peak of the third coronavirus wave in the city.
“The positivity rate in Delhi has decreased to 8.51 per cent as opposed to 15.26 per cent on November 7. It has become less than half since November 7, 2020,” said the health minister.
Jain also said that the Delhi government has enough resources to vaccinate the entire city in three to four weeks and that AAP government’s flagship healthcare facility Mohalla Clinics would be put to use for distribution of the vaccines amongst the public.
“We are waiting for the vaccine to be made available. Delhi has the infrastructure to roll it out and make it accessible to all citizens within 3-4 weeks.
To provide vaccines to the people, the Delhi government has facilities like mohalla clinics, polyclinics, dispensaries and hospitals; there will be no issue of storage of vaccines as well,” said the health minister.
Earlier, the Centre in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court blamed the Delhi government for the worsening situation in the national capital saying that as no effective preventive steps were taken to contain the virus, cases spiked around Diwali.
The Delhi government has till date maintained the stand that it has sufficient arrangements of beds for people who need hospitalization but ICU beds are a cause of worry. For that, the government has received help from the Centre.
“Overall more than 9,500 beds are available, out of which 1,200 ICU beds are vacant. At present, more than 50 per cent beds are available in hospitals. Total beds available are more than 9,500. The occupancy rate is therefore steadily decreasing. In terms of ICU beds, more than 1,200 are available” said Jain.