Upgrade infrastructure related to COVID testing Labs, testing centers: HC to Delhi govt

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday (April 26) requested the Delhi government to upgrade infrastructure related to COVID testing Labs and testing centers. This observation comes after lawyers, representing Centre, informed the HC that testing numbers in Delhi have gone down, said an ANI report.

Delhi has witnessed an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases with daily new cases jumping from below 500 in late-March to nearly 30,000 this week.

Delhi government on Monday decided to provide free vaccines to everyone above 18 years of age. "Today we have given the approval for the purchase of 1.34 crore vaccines. We will make an effort to ensure that it is purchased soon and administered at the earliest to people," said CM Arvind Kejriwal.  

In a televised address, he said, "I appeal to vaccine manufacturers to bring down the price to Rs 150/dose. You have an entire lifetime to earn profits. This is not the time to do that when there is a raging pandemic. I also appeal to the Central Govt to cap the price (of vaccines) if needed."

Earlier today, CM Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Health Minister Satyendar Jain visit the ITBP-run Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre, Radha Soami Beas, Chhatarpur. The centre begins operation on Monday.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has entended the complete lockdown in the national capital by one more week due to the deteriorating COVID-19 situation. The COVID-19-induced lockdown in Delhi will now remain in place till May 3. 

On Sunday, the Delhi CM made an appeal to the top industrialists of the country saying "please do whatever you can to support us", as the national capital battles a distressing shortage of medical oxygen due to a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases.

In his letter, Kejriwal wrote, "Please help Delhi government if you have Oxygen and tankers...help us in whatever way you can." 

Meanwhile, eight pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants are being installed in Delhi from the PM Cares Fund to enhance the capacity of medical oxygen by 14.4 metric tonnes, central government sources told PTI on Sunday.

One plant in Burari Hospital, Kaushik Enclave, was installed on March 17 while four others, one each at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Lok Nayak Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Rohini and Deepa Chand Bandhu Hospital, Ashok Vihar, are expected to be completed by April 30, sources reportedly said. 

In Delhi, seven of the eight plants were to be set up at Delhi government hospitals, and one at the central government's Safdarjung hospital.

(With Agency Inputs)