Delhi orders 2-month buffer of 32 Covid drugs; storage capacity for 442 MT medical oxygen put in place: Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday held a meeting with health department officials to take stock of preparedness in the national capital amid the raising concerns of the Covid variant, 'Omicron'.

Addressing mediapersons, Arvind Kejriwal said, "We have prepared 30,000 oxygen beds in which 10,000 are ICU beds. As many as 6,800 ICU beds are under construction, which will be completed till February 2022." [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The Delhi Government will install 100 oxygen beds in all municipal wards on a short notice of two weeks.[/caption] Also read | From Google to Twitter; 'Indian CEO Virus' grips top tech companies He said the government would install 100 oxygen beds in all municipal wards on a short notice of two weeks. Kejriwal said, "There are 32 types of medicines that are used during Covid-19 (treatment). A buffer stock of two months is being ordered so that there is no shortage of medicines." On the oxygen plants, Kejriwal said, "We have made 442 metric tonne storage of medical oxygen in Delhi." He said, "All oxygen tanks in the national capital have been ordered to install the telemetric devices. This will give the exact data of oxygen in the tanks, so that the refilling can be done on time. This will help in the oxygen management." [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="549"] At least 93 per cent people have got the first dose of Covid vaccine in Delhi.[/caption] Also read | Covid-19 variant Omicron: MHA extends containment measures "For the spare capacity of oxygen cylinders. We have imported 6,000 cylinders from China. We have D-type cylinders which will help in installing oxygen beds. We have brought 15 oxygen tankers so far," added the Delhi CM. Regarding the vaccination, the Delhi Chief Minister said "At least 93 per cent people have got the first dose vaccine in Delhi while 57 per cent people have also taken the second dose." The Chief Minister expressed hope that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 will not come to India. Earlier, the Delhi Government decided that RT-PCR tests will be conducted on all passengers arriving from six high-risk countries. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1000"] The Delhi Government has also decided that RT-PCR tests will be conducted on all passengers arriving from six high-risk countries.[/caption] The Omicron variant (B.1.1.529), a new variant of the coronavirus, was first reported in Botswana on November 11, 2021, and appeared on in South Africa November 14. -PTC News