Coronavirus cases in Delhi have been rising at an exponential rate, leading to valid concerns about the stress on the healthcare system and how it will handle it. A lack of facilities and an overburdened staff is already a problem – one that sees no signs of slowing down. Despite this, the Central government appears to be in denial about the magnitude of the problem.
According to NDTV, the Centre’s official stance is that there is no community transmission of coronavirus in Delhi, Manish Sisodia said. This is in direct contradiction with the increasing number of untraceable cases in the capital.
After a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Manish Sisodia said,
On community spread in Delhi, central government officials said it has not happened yet.
Community spread is when people don’t know the source of how they got the infection. This is the case with 50% of Delhi’s patients. However, only the Centre has the power to declare community spread.
There are expected to be 5.5 lakh cases in Delhi by July 31, and at least 80,000 beds will be needed. Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said,
AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria had said there is community transmission in Delhi but the centre has not accepted it yet. We cannot declare it and the centre has to declare it. Community spread is a technical term and it depends on the Centre whether they accept it or not. There are four stages in epidemiology in which the third stage is the community spread.
These are extremely worrying signs, as certain actions can only be taken when the situation is designated as being in the community stage. Further updates are awaited.