Scramble for beds as Delhi marks highest single-day spike for any city: 6,725 cases

While Covid beds are available in government hospitals, many top private hospitals have observed a rise in demand over the last 10 days. Several small nursing homes with a bed capacity of 30 or more have started to run full, with no Covid beds available, said officials.

“There has been a sudden rise in demand for Covid beds over the last one week. We are trying to accommodate every patient but it is getting difficult. Earlier, patients from neighbouring states were reaching out to us; this time, it’s the people of Delhi who are facing problems,” said Dr D S Rana, board chairman, Sir Ganga Ram hospital.

There are 162 Covid beds at Sir Ganga Ram, out of which 22 are lying vacant, and 120 beds at Sir Ganga Ram City hospital, out of which three are vacant. At Max Saket, only 19 out of 250 Covid beds are available.

Experts attribute the rise to the festival season. Dr Rajesh Chawla, senior consultant, Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Apollo Hospitals said: “We have a waiting list and unfortunately, there are no ICU Covid beds available. Even the need for non-ICU beds has gone up. The changed behaviour among the community towards the disease is one of the main reasons behind the spike.”

Government facilities, such as AIIMS, Lok Nayak, GTB and Safdarjung hospitals, are better placed. Addressing a press conference Tuesday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that a daily review of beds in central government hospitals is being done.

Out of 2,010 beds in Lok Nayak Hospital, the largest dedicated Covid facility in the city, 1,358 are vacant. At AIIMS, 53 of 265 beds are available and at Safdarjung, 147 of 319 beds are vacant.

Bhushan said Delhi has a system where details of available beds are available in the public domain. “As far as ventilators are concerned, we have provided a sufficient number to Delhi. If there is any demand in future, we would be in a position to provide additional ventilators, too,” he said.