Cases high due to more testing; plasma trials to go on: Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the number of Covid-19 cases in the national capital “appears” to be high because his government has scaled up testing for the disease. Dispelling speculation that plasma therapy trials in Delhi could be stopped, Kejriwal said the trials are going on “in full swing” and that the government has identified over 1,000 more donors.

In a digital address to the media, Kejriwal said Delhi is conducting as many as 2,300 Covid-19 tests per million population, which is higher than the national average of around 500 tests per million. At present, Delhi has conducted over 50,000 tests, of which about 7,000 were in the containment zones.

“When we see that Delhi has recorded over 3,500 cases till now, the number may appear to be very high. But, this is because we are testing aggressively. That is also why we are setting up so many containment zones so that the detected cases can be isolated and the chain of transmission can be broken,” Kejriwal said.

He also said that analysing the national data, Delhi has more recoveries and fewer deaths than other states.

Asserting that initial results of plasma therapy had been “promising”, the chief minister said that trials for critical Covid-19 patients will not be discontinued. His statement comes days after the central government said plasma therapy was still in the experimental phase and cannot be substituted for a cure.

KEJRIWAL SAID DELHI IS TESTING 2,300 PEOPLE PER MILLION OF ITS POPULATION, WHICH IS HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE