Delhi hospitals told to reserve 10-15% beds as dengue cases cross 1,200

Amid a surge in the number of dengue cases, the Delhi government has asked all hospitals in the city to ensure no patient is denied admission due to lack of beds, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday.

Sisodia said the Delhi government has asked the hospitals to reserve 10-15 per cent beds for patients of vector-borne diseases.

“Seeing a low occupancy of Covid-19 beds, the Delhi government has asked hospitals to use vacant beds to accommodate dengue patients,” Sisodia was quoted as saying in a statement.

Delhi has reported 937 dengue cases this year till September-end and 321 more cases were reported in the first five days of October, taking the tally to 1,258, according to a report released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday.

This figure (321) was 91 lower than the weekly cycle ending September 28, when the national capital reported 412 dengue cases. Delhi is yet to report any deaths this year due to the disease.

The cumulative figure of dengue cases is the worst since the corresponding period in 2017, when Delhi had recorded 2,564 dengue cases - the city had registered 480 cases during the corresponding period in 2021, 316 cases in 2020, 467 cases in 2019 and 830 cases in 2018.

Experts consider September and October to be the most vulnerable period for the spread of the infection in Delhi, and the city usually witnesses the peak of weekly count over these two months.

"The government has put all the hospitals across the national capital on alert and is keeping an eye on the situation," the statement said.

The deputy CM said the present weather conditions are conducive for the transmission of vector-borne diseases. He said despite the spike there is no need to panic as all arrangements have been put in place to provide treatment to the patients at hospitals.