Many Care Centres vacant as most patients stay home

nNEWDELHI: At a Delhi government Covid Care Centre in Narela, one of the first such facilities in the Capital, close to 1,200 people are quarantined, but none of them are positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). These are, instead, people who have returned from abroad on flights under the Centre’s Vande Bharat repatriation mission.

“We have not got any Covid-19 positive patients since July 10. Till last month, we were getting 150-200 Covid-19 patients daily,” said Dr Ishrat Kafeel, the chief minister’s representative at the 1,370 bed Narela facility.

A similar picture has persisted in some other such facilities across the national capital. Care Centres can house patients with mild symptoms who are unable to isolate in their homes. However, with a large number of patients in home isolation — 6,976 as on Sunday, and the number of new daily cases showing a downward trend, the occupancy at these centres has seen a steady fall. Of the 11,904 active cases (patients still infected with Covid-19) in the city on Sunday, only 853 (around 7%) are in these centres.

This has made the Delhi government rethink its use of these centres.

Like Narela, other Covid Care facilities have very few positive cases admitted currently. Of the 18 state-run quarantine centres started by the Delhi government, at least seven have had no patients for weeks now. These include the YMCA Tourist hostel, Badarpur (specify), Birla Mandir Dharamshala, DDU Marg facility and PTS Dwarka. Two facilities in southeast Delhi that were turned Covid facilities have been returned to the Railways.

“Some of the facilities were used to keep members of Tablighi Jammat who were evacuated from Nizamuddin Markaz. Then when the number of cases increased, especially in densely populated areas such as Jahangirpuri, asymptomatic and those with mild symptoms are sent to these centres,” said a senior government official.

Additionally, with the government opening two major Covid care centres — the 10,000-bed Sardar Patel centre in Chhatarpur and a 500-bed centre in the Commonwealth Games village, there has been a steady decline in the number of Covid-19 positive cases being sent to these centres.

Admissions to the city’s care centres have been on an upward trend since June 2, when 648 positive patients were admitted to the various facilities, with the total number on that day hitting 1,370. The number peaked at 2,304 on July 17. However, the number has mostly dropped since then, falling to 1,522 as on July 24, then further to 904 the day after that.

Delhi government divisional commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar said, “We are recalibrating our resources, especially at big facilities at Narela and Sultanpuri, for optimal utilisation. We have some large facilities like the Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre, and we are sending new cases to these facilities. Wherever possible, we are shifting patients from other centres to these facilities.”

However, occupancy rates at the two flagship centres are quite low, with around 250 patients in the Chhatarpur facility, and around 200 in the CWG one.

The Delhi government spokesperson didn’t respond, despite multiple attempts for comment.

In some centres, the government has withdrawn the staff and deputed them elsewhere, while at others, it is in the process of handing over the centres, at least partially, to the authority that owns the premises.

At Police Training School in Dwarka for instance, medical and support staff has been withdrawn. “But the infrastructure is in place and if need be it can be restarted in no time,” a Delhi government official said.

At northeast Delhi’s Mandoli Jail Complex, which has a capacity of 750 beds, Delhi government authorities are in the process of handing over five of the 12 towers to jail authorities for their use.

The facility, which was packed to capacity in May and June, has only 32 Covid-19 patients now, according to a senior official in-charge of the facility.

Delhi director general of prisons Sandeep Goel confirmed that the prison department had written to the state government, requesting the Mandoli police complex be turned into a temporary prison. Goel said, “The police complex could accommodate at least 2,000 prisoners.”

As per the Delhi government’s daily health bulletin, as on Saturday, 3,202 beds in care centres are occupied by persons under quarantine, including travellers who returned on Vande Bharat mission and bubble flights.

At Bakkarwala facility with over 500-beds, there are close to 380 people, who have come from abroad, in quarantine. Sunny Kheda, the CM’S representative at the facility said, “For the past 10 days, we have not got any Covid-19 positive case.”

A senior official from west Delhi district said, “We are sending a majority of the patients to the Sardar Patel facility. But those who want to stay in the district are kept at the care facility in Tilak Nagar. The Bakkarwala facility is being used to house those coming from abroad.”

Similarly, the northwest district is sending new Covid-19 cases to the Shakur Basti facility that is operating from train coaches, instead of the 1,032-bed Sultanpuri Covid Care Centre.

However, Delhi government officials said they sought to remain cautious and while some of the centres are not in use right now, they may be made operational immediately if necessary.

Khirwar said, “In case, there is a surge in cases, we will use these centres to keep Covid patients. We are not closing these centres.”

OF THE 11,904 ACTIVE CASES (PATIENTS STILL INFECTED WITH COVID19) IN THE CITY AS ON SUNDAY, 853 PEOPLE ARE IN THESE CENTRES