A slew measures have been under way for a more effective response to the rise in COVID-19 infections in Delhi, with the union home ministry pushing for more testing as well as adding to the healthcare infrastructure.

After home minister Shah held a meeting on the Delhi COVID situation on November 15, a slew of measures have been under way, a home ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Ten multi-disciplinary teams have been constituted to visit more than 100 private hospitals in the capital for assessing bed utilisation and testing capacity, and to identify extra ICU beds. The teams have started their visits.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Delhi government have been working together to enhance RT-PCR testing capacity to 60,000 tests by end-November. Testing capacity was already enhanced by 10,000 tests per day on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Indian Railways is also making available train coaches with 800 beds at Shakur Basti railway station. These coaches will function as COVID care-cum-isolation facility, and doctors and paramedics from CAPFs are going to be on duty there.

To spruce up the healthcare infrastructure, public sector unit Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has dispatched 250 ventilators from Bengaluru, and they are expected to reach Delhi by weekend. The health ministry has delivered 35 BIPAP machines to the DRDO COVID facility near Delhi airport.

The DRDO is adding 250 ICU beds to its already existing 250 ICU beds. It will also create 35 BIPAP beds in next thrre to four days at its COVID hospital near Delhi airport.

As many as 45 doctors and 160 paramedics from CAPFs have reached Delhi for deployment at the DRDO hospital and at the COVID care centre at Chhatarpur. More doctors and paramedics are on the way and expected to arrive in the capital over the next few days.