Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Union Health & Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, who visited Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital on April 19, 2020, to review status of COVID-19 management, said that the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients has steadily increased from 8% in the week ending March 29, 2020, to 12% this week. This shows that more and more of these patients are getting better and going back to their homes, he said.
“It reflects the quality of care provided by our frontline health workers in India. I congratulate them for this success. The country is grateful to you for your services in such times. It is heartening to see the high morale of our health warriors in these testing times,” Dr Vardhan said.
Dr Vardhan also stated that the prevention, containment and management of COVID-19 in the country is being monitored regularly at highest levels in collaboration with the States. He said, “The rate of growth of new cases has also been steadying for a while. Before the lockdown, India’s doubling rate was about 3 days. As per the data received today by 8 am, over the past seven days, the doubling rate is 7.2 days, for the past 14 days it is 6.2, and over past 3 days it stands at 9.7. This is despite the fact that number of tests done every day has increased by almost 14 times. Same way, if you look at growth factor – from March 15 to March 31,2020, it was 2.1, whereas in April it has come down to 1.2 which is a good drop of 40% which is a positive indication and is really encouraging for the whole country. This also indicates that the total number of COVID-19 cases are not increasing and may start stabilising.”
Dr Vardhan urged the people of India to observe the extended period of lockdown (till May 3, 2020) in letter and spirit and treat it as an effective intervention to cut down the chain of transmission of COVID-19. He said by observing discipline in day to day life during Lockdown 2.0 would reap us rich dividends in terms of turning the tide against COVID-19. “We have won the battles and we will win this war against COVID-19 for sure,” he added, according to a PIB release.
Keeping in view the emerging requirements for hospital preparedness, Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital is functioning as dedicated 450-bed COVID-19 hospital consisting of adequate isolation wards and beds. Dr Vardhan visited the flu corner, isolation wards, observation wards, critical areas/ICUs, COVID corridor, COVID Area, COVID OPD, COVID sample collection unit, changing facility for doctors and health workers.
At the COVID ward, the Minister spoke through video conferencing to a patient who is himself a doctor and was admitted to the facility after turning COVID positive while giving his services at Airport for screening COVID patients and at Narela Quarantine. Dr Vardhan said, “I am happy to learn that he is hale and hearty and recuperating well at the hospital. It is very encouraging to see his high moral despite suffering from COVID himself.”