In an attempt to bolster the city’s healthcare infrastructure ahead of a possible third wave of the viral disease, a Covid-19 rapid response centre was inaugurated on Wednesday at a leading Delhi government-run coronavirus facility

The centre, which includes an ICU unit, will act as a buffer zone between the patient arrival area and the medical wards. It was opened by Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain at the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital. Authorities at the 650-bed hospital, which played a critical role in providing Covid care during the first two waves of the pandemic, said, “We need to be prepared for a similar surge (in the future).”

For better management of patients and for matching of bed turnover to the number of patients arriving in real-time, rapid response centre is the need of the hour, a senior official of the hospital said. The rapid response centre has been divided into two areas — a seven-bed triage area and a 23-bed ICU. All beds have multipara monitors with critical care equipment like ventilators, BIPAP machines, HFNC and crash carts, the official said. It is fully equipped with a centralised oxygen supply and suction is available for each bed. A rapid response team, comprising critical care consultants, resident doctors, nursing staff and orderlies, and technicians will man the centre.

Patients will be provided complete critical care at the centre till bed availability is ensured in a Covid-19 ward or a Covid ICU ward, the official said. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday said medical infrastructure is being ramped up and 37,000 beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients are being set up to tackle the anticipated third wave of the pandemic in the national capital. He also underlined that that though the positivity rate has shown a downward trend and the number of fatalities has been zero in the past few days, the Delhi government is not dropping its guard.

The national capital had reeled under the brutal second wave of the pandemic that swept the country recently, claiming a massive number of lives daily with the issue of shortage in oxygen supply at various hospitals adding to the woes. Delhi has so far reported over 14.3 lakh cases of Covid-19 till date since the start of the pandemic while more than 25,000 people have died due to the disease.