Bodies of suspected COVID-19 cases in Delhi to be handed over to relatives without waiting for lab confirmation: Centre

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Sunday directed that bodies of suspected COVID-19 cases in Delhi be handed over to relatives immediately without waiting for lab confirmation.

"In compliance with orders of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Ministry directs that bodies of suspected COVID-19 cases in Delhi be handed over to relatives immediately without waiting for lab confirmation," the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.

As per the Home Minister's directions, the Health Ministry has set up three teams of four doctors each from AIIMS Delhi, Directorate General of Health Services, MoHFW and Delhi government to inspect major dedicated COVID-19 facilities proposed in Delhi and make recommendations for improvement.

Delhi has recorded a total of 38,958 coronavirus cases, out of which 22,742 are active in the city. So far, 14,945 have been cured/migrated in the capital and 1,271 have died due to the lethal infection.

Earlier in the day, Shah held two round of meetings with Delhi LG Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over COVID-19 situation in the national capital.

Shah announced a series of measures to tackle the disease in the national capital including increasing testing three times in six days, providing 500 converted rail coaches to add 8,000 beds and steps for the availability of 60 per cent coronavirus beds in private hospitals at lower rates.

The minister said that a comprehensive health survey of every person would be conducted in the containment zones of the national capital to check the spread of coronavirus.

"To be able to do contact mapping well in Delhi's containment zones, a comprehensive health survey of every person will be done from house to house. The report will come in one week. Aarogya Setu app will be downloaded in every person's mobile," Shah tweeted.

"Testing for the infection will be doubled in the next two days in the capital and tripled in six days," he added.

The Union Minister also said that a committee would be set up for 60 per cent beds in private hospitals at a lower rate for coronavirus patients.