Delhi government on April 9 removed GB Pant Hospital from the list of designated COVID-19 hospitals, keeping in view the difficulties faced by general patients who are receiving treatment at the super speciality streams of the hospital.

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"In continuation of earlier order to designate GB Pant Hospital as COVID-19 designated hospital along with 5 other hospitals, competent authority has decided on April 9 to remove GB Pant Hospital from designated COVID-19 list keeping in view the difficulties faced by general patients who are receiving treatment at the GB Pant Hospital in super speciality streams," read an order issued by the Delhi Health department. "Further, it is clarified that GB Pant Hospital continues to function as it was functioning before designating it as COVID-19 hospital," it added.

The order further reads that Lok Nayak Hospital will create additional 500 bed capacity by utilising OPD spaces and a newly-constructed block of MAIDS, in lieu of beds proposed to be designated at GB Pant Hospital. Five hospitals, including Lok Nayak Hospital and GB Pant Hospital, were recently designated as COVID-19 hospitals. There are 669 cases of coronavirus in the national capital at present, including 426 from the Tablighi Jamaat event that took place in Nizamuddin Markaz last month.

With an increase of 540 positive COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's total positive Coronavirus cases rose to 5,734, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on April 9. Out of the 5,734 cases, 5,093 are active COVID-19 cases, and 472 cases have been recovered/discharged and one case is migrated.