Amid the rise in Covid-19 cases in Delhi, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has decided to revise the action plan regarding OPD services and surgeries. According to a statement by the Delhi AIIMS hospital, the OPD services will continue to function with restricted registrations limited to only prior appointment patients.
It further said that all specialty clinics will be stopped for the time being and "specialty clinic follow up patients will be registered within follow-up appointment slots only".
Additionally, all routine inpatient admissions and all routine procedures/non-essential surgeries will be temporarily stopped till further orders, the AIIMS Hospital added. On the precipice of the third wave of Covid infections, a large number of doctors and paramedics in Delhi have tested positive for Covid-19. At least 50 doctors have tested Covid positive at AIIMS in Delhi while 26 have been diagnosed with the disease at the Safdarjung Hospital.
In view of the alarming spike in cases, the AIIMS administration has cancelled the winter vacation of its faculty members.
"It is to inform that the competent authority has decided to cancel the remaining part of the winter vacation -- from January 5 to 10 -- due to ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. All faculty members are requested to join back their duty with immediate effect," read an office memorandum issued on January 3.
Delhi on Thursday recorded 15,097 fresh Covid cases, the highest single-day rise since May 8, and six deaths. the city's positivity rate mounted to 15.34%. As per the Thursday health bulletin, the death toll due to the coronavirus infection in Delhi has now risen to 25,127.
On Friday, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that the national capital is expected to add 17,000 Covid-19 cases with a positivity rate of around 17% today. He said Delhi is the first to witness a surge in infections because most of the international flights come to the capital.
