The Delhi High Court today slammed the centre over the oxygen crisis (File)
Delhi, which is grappling with an acute oxygen shortage in its hospitals, has reported 24,638 cases and 249 deaths in the last 24 hours. On Tuesday, the national capital had reported over 28,000 cases in its highest single-day spike since the start of the pandemic last year.
According to a Delhi government release, 78,768 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours out of which over 45,000 were gold standard RT-PCR tests. The city's case positivity was 31.28 per cent.
The city's total coronavirus cases reached 9,30,179.
24,600 people recovered in the last 24 hours.
The national capital's active caseload is 85,364. The fatality rate is 1.39 per cent.
The huge pile-up of active caseload has brought the city's health infrastructure to the verge of collapse. Critical shortages of hospital beds, medicines and life-saving oxygen have been reported in Delhi.
Several hospitals today said they had only a few hours of oxygen supply left for Covid patients.
The centre today increased Delhi's oxygen quota to 500 metric tonnes from 378 metric tonnes. The city's government had demanded over 700 metric tonnes.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court today slammed the centre over the oxygen crisis.
"How is the government so oblivious of the reality on ground. You cannot have people die because of no oxygen. You take your own sweet time and people die," it said.
It also said that oxygen supply was the responsibility of the government. "Beg... borrow... or steal, it is your job," it added.
India today reported over 2.95 lakh coronavirus cases and over 2,000 deaths in 24 hours.