Delhi logs 166 new H1N1 cases and takes the year’s tally to 2,612
Influenza-A cases rose to 3,300 from 3,177. Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh inspected isolation beds at Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka. Hospitals must keep at least five flu beds; larger ones ten. The minister said there was no need for panic.
New Delhi1 min read
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Delhi recorded 166 new H1N1 infections in 24 hours on Thursday, up from 138 the previous day, taking the capital’s 2026 swine-flu tally to 2,612. All Influenza-A cases rose to 3,300 from 3,177, according to Delhi government figures released to PTI.
Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh visited Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka and walked the new flu clinic and isolation ward. A day earlier he had told government hospitals to keep at least five isolation beds ready, ten or more in the larger ones, and to post shift rosters so doctors are present through the night. Testing kits and oseltamivir stocks were on the checklist.
Singh said there was “absolutely no need for panic.” Pulmonologist Mohit Bhardwaj called the H1N1 rise significant and said the same thing about panic. H1N1 has overtaken H3N2 in the current mix. Seasonal influenza in late August is not a surprise in Delhi. A 166-case day after a 138-case day is why the minister was in Dwarka rather than issuing a note.
What the hospitals were told to hold
Dedicated swine-flu clinics will examine and test suspects first. Confirmed cases move to the H1N1 ward. The same hospitals are being told to keep vector-borne capacity open. The numbers are still far below the worst H1N1 years, but they are moving the wrong way in a week, which is the only reason a minister inspects beds in person.
