NEW DELHI: Private hospitals have been told to discontinue their extended Covid facilities at hotels with immediate effect in view of the marked improvement in the coronavirus situation in the capital.
The Delhi government had issued an order earlier during the second wave linking hotels with private hospitals in order to convert them into extended Covid facilities in view of the rising number of coronavirus cases and also augment bed capacity in the national capital.
“It has been decided to discontinue the scheme of creation of healthcare facilities at hotels by private hospitals which was operationalised earlier. All concerned private hospitals are, accordingly, directed to wind up the facilities operating in hotels with immediate effect,” the new order issued on July 29 said.
Delhi had faced a brutal second Covid wave with shortage of beds and oxygen adding to the woes. Since April 19, both daily cases and single-day death count had been spiralling up, with over 28,000 cases and 277 deaths recorded on April 20; rising to 306 fatalities on April 22.
With the decline in cases, hospital beds have also freed up. According to data, out of 12,283 beds in hospitals, only 333 are occupied.
58 new cases, one more death in Delhi
The national capital recorded 58 new Covid-19 cases and one death due to the disease on Saturday, while the positivity rate slightly decreased to 0.08 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here. The single new fatality pushed the death toll in the city to 25,053, according to the latest bulletin. The national capital logged 63 fresh cases and three deaths on Friday, while the positivity rate stood at 0.09 per cent. No death due to Covid-19 was recorded on Thursday, while 51 fresh Covid-19 cases were reported.