Shimla: Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital re-notified as dedicated Covid centre, Rajiv Saizal tests +ve

Shimla, January 24

The Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital, Shimla, has been re-notified as a dedicated Covid hospital from Sunday. The decision was taken as the state has witnessed a sharp spike in the number of positive cases over the last fortnight.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Rajiv Saizal has tested positive for Covid. He took to Twitter to announce his status and urged people, who had come in his contact over the past few days, to get themselves tested.

The DDUH was notified as a Covid care centre during the first two waves, too. It was denotified as a Covid hospital in June last year, when the second wave began to subside. The hospital witnesses a footfall of over 1,000 patients in OPDs and caters to residents of various districts. The decision to shut down OPDs was inevitable in view of the rising case load, sources said.

At the IGMC, out of the total 115 Covid beds at the moment, 80 are already occupied. The DDU Hospital has a total bed capacity 125 beds, including 80 oxygen-fitted beds and 20 ICU beds.—