Delhi reports 1-day rise of 19,133 COVID-19 cases; positivity rate drops to 24%

New Delhi: The national capital has reported 19,133 COVID-19 cases and 335 deaths in the last 24 hours. Around 79,000 COVID tests conducted in Delhi. The positivity rate in Delhi has slid below 25 percent.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Delhi as the second wave of COVID pandemic rages across the country. Many hospitals in the national capital continue to grapple with shortage of beds and oxygen. 

Several city hospitals have sent SOS to the government to plug the oxygen gap needed to take care of the COVID patients. 

As the hospitals face oxygen shortage, many hospitals in Delhi have reduced their number of COVID designated beds.

Institute of Brain and Spine, Lajpat Nagar has reduced the number from 34 to just 5 owing to oxygen shortage. On Wednesday, the facility was left with an oxygen supply for 1.5 hours till 9:30 am.

Several hospitals complain that the helpline numbers given by the Delhi government for oxygen procurement did not prove helpful. Some hospitals managed the oxygen on their own before relief came in at 03:30 pm on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, hearing a bunch of petitions on Thursday, the Delhi High Court sought to find out about the portal for Covid-19 medicines including Remdesivir. The court said information on Tocilizumab should be made available on the portal with transparency. 

The court was hearing petitions relating to various issues including oxygen supply arising due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in the national capital.

The Delhi High Court also talked about complete failure saying it is very clear that systems are not in place. The court's critical observation came after an advocate told the bench that according to an RTI reply, the Delhi government did not procure ventilators purchased in the last six months.