Published 11:53 IST, June 29th 2020
Raghav Chadha says Delhi has come together to fight coronavirus on CM Kejriwal's request
Delhi has reported 80188 cases with 2558 deaths due to the virus and is under a 15-day serological survey to help the government to revise its strategy
AAP Delhi MLA Raghav Chadha has stated that the coronavirus situation has been improving in the national capital as people have come together to fight the virus and have backed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's efforts to improve the situation.
Delhi has so far reported 80,188 confirmed cases with 2,558 deaths due to the virus and the city is under a 15-day serological survey to help the government to revise its strategy to fight the virus in the national capital, which has seen a massive surge in the number of cases over the last few weeks.
'Delhi has come together'
Speaking to ANI, he said, "For the people of Delhi, the Chief Minister asked for help because he understands that this virus cannot be fought singlehandedly and it is a collective effort. Upon his request, people came together and the situation in Delhi is coming under control. The Centre has also contributed to this as well by helping us to deploy the ITBP upon our request. They have fulfilled many of our demands and all are fighting against the pandemic collectively."
The authorities have collected just under 20,000 samples from across the city. The plan was announced by the Central government after a meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah. A 'serosurvey' involves testing of blood serum of a group of individuals to monitor trends of novel coronavirus or SARS-COV-2 infection at the district level.
The surveillance unit will consist of 10 health facilities (including 6 public and 4 private) from each district. Among the low-risk population, outpatient attendees (non-ILI patients) and pregnant women will be tested while among the high-risk population healthcare workers will be surveyed. The authorities will also replace RT-PCR based testing for surveillance purposes with ELISA-based testing subsequently.
Officials said all districts will be given a fixed quote of sample collections, with various factors being considered, including population. The survey started in Delhi West on Sunday in two areas - Paschim Vihar and Paschim Puri - and will start in full swing in 17 other areas from Monday. Delhi West has been given a target of collecting 3,000 samples. In Delhi North, 140 samples were collected from Jahangirpuri, Swaroop Nagar and Model town on Sunday.
(With ANI inputs)
Updated 11:53 IST, June 29th 2020