NEW DELHI: According to the states health minister, Mr. Saurabh Bharadwaj, coronavirus has been detected in sewage samples taken from the city over the past few weeks. In response to a question from a reporter, Mr. Bharadwaj stated that the health department has been testing the sewage in Delhi for the last two or three weeks.

To address the growing number of Covid-19 cases in Delhi, the minister called an urgent meeting with health agency representatives on Thursday. The hospital administration was given instructions to continue their preparations. The minister suggested that the resources of the hospitals and surrounding area could be used to increase the number of COVID-19 beds to several thousand, if necessary.

At present, six states, namely Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, are reporting an increasing number of COVID cases, as per the central government advisory. The advisory also shows that every time there is a coronavirus surge in Maharashtra, two to three weeks later there is also a spike in Delhi, a common trend observed during the pandemic years.

The Chief Minister, Mr. Arvind Kejriwal, will meet with the health department on Friday to review the status of preparation in the state-run hospitals. Health officials have been requested to exchange information on how other states are handling the increasing number of COVID cases and the effects they are having on people.

 (Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/sewage-samples-in-delhi-showed-signs-of-coronavirus-health-minister-saurabh-bharadwaj/99129289 )