AAP wants Centre to declare Covid 'community transfer' in Delhi after '5.5 lakh' forecast

As the Coronavirus cases are surging in the National Capital, Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday questioned the Central government and sought its reply for not declaring Coronavirus 'community transmission' in Delhi. AAP MP Sanjay Singh demanded an explanation as to why the Centre is not accepting the community spread.

Singh further said that the Delhi Health Minister informed about the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi and the source for the spread can't be tracked hence it can be declared as a community spread. However the Centre government is not ready to believe, he added.

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Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "Why is the Central government not accepting this (community spread of COVID-19)? The Union government should answer this. The government should decide why the Centre is not accepting the community spread. Look at the number of COVID -19 cases.

The Delhi Health Minister has given his statement on the basis of how fast COVID-19 cases are growing and when you can't find the source from where it spreads, how it spreads, then it will be considered community spread. But what is the basis of the thinking of the Central government? Why are they not believing? That only the Central government can tell us," he added. 

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On Tuesday, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had informed that All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (AIIMS) Director Dr. Randeep Guleria has accepted that there is community transmission in Delhi however it is now up to the Centre to make an official declaration about it. He also said Delhi had many cases and around half of the cases that are reported people don't know how they get infected.

"AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria has said that there is a community transmission in Delhi but the Centre has not accepted it yet. We cannot declare it and the declaration is up to the Centre. Community spread is a technical term and it depends on the Centre whether they accept it or not. There are four stages in epidemiology in which the third stage is the community spread," Jain said when asked about whether community transmission has started in Delhi.

"We say community spread when people don't know how they get the infection. There are many cases. Around half of the cases are coming in which people don't know how they get infected," Jain said earlier.

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COVID-19 cases in Delhi

According to the latest figures shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare the national capital so far has recorded 32,810 coronavirus cases. 984 people have succumbed to the disease whereas 12,245 COVID cases have been discharged and cured. Delhi has 19,581 active cases of Coronavirus so far. The state government has forecast 5.5 lakh cases in the capital by July 31.

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(With inputs from ANI)