2 deaths, 338 new COVID-19 cases

Delhi govt. acquires 170 hotel rooms for infected officials, family members

May 09, 2020 12:07 am | Updated 12:07 am IST - New Delhi

People show online tokens as they queue up to buy liquor in New Delhi on Friday.

People show online tokens as they queue up to buy liquor in New Delhi on Friday.

Two deaths and 338 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Delhi on Friday, taking the total number of deaths to 68 and cases to 6,318, according to the Delhi government. Of the 6,318 cases, 2,020 people have recovered and there are 4,230 active cases.

Commenting on AIIMS-Delhi Director Randeep Guleria’s prediction that COVID-19 cases are likely to peak in June-July, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said:

“Earlier also cases were predicted, but the cases are lesser than what we predicted. If they say that COVID-19 cases will reach their peak in June, it might happen, patterns of other countries are also similar.”

He added that a COVID Care Centre with nearly 400 beds will start functioning in the next two-three days in Burari.

On allegations by opposition parties that the government was hiding information, Mr. Jain said: “We are not hiding anything. There is no question of hiding any data by the Delhi government because if someone tests positive, it should not be hidden. Once the reports come, the hospitals have to inform the government. If we are hiding cases, then why would we say there were 448 cases (on Thursday), which was the highest till now?”

Reacting to rising cases of infected medical staff, the Minster said that “all over the world 15% health workers are getting infected”.

Meanwhile, the government has acquired 170 rooms in three city hotels that will be made part of Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital (RGSSH) for treatment of infected Delhi government officials and their family members. “If the Delhi government officials or family members are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic then they will be admitted to the hotels, else they will be moved to the hospital. RGSSH will continue to treat other patients,” a hospital official said.

The three hotels are: Hotel Ginger in Vivek Vihar; Park Plaza in Shahdara, and Leela Ambience in CBD Ground. The last two are five-start hotels, according to the government.

Meanwhile, the daily health bulletin issued by the Delhi government stated that an order has been issued for constituting an enquiry committee to look into the various aspects of “major discrepancies in the reports of Dr. Lal Path Lab”.

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