Hospitals see spike in respiratory cases; air pollution may worsen in NCR

Delhi-NCR hospitals report a sharp spike in breathing-related cases as air quality turns 'severe' after Diwali; doctors expect numbers to rise in coming days

Hospitals in the National Capital Region (NCR) are seeing an increase in number of patients complaining of breathing difficulties and respiratory ailments, as Delhi-NCR’s Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed 400, which is considered “severe”, on early Tuesday, a day after Diwali celebrations.

 

Delhi-NCR recorded unsatisfactory AQI levels between 345 and 350 in the morning following Diwali, placing it in the “very poor’ category, while several monitoring stations crossed the 400 mark, entering the “severe” range.

 

Kuldeep Kumar Grover, critical care and pulmonology head, C K Birla Hospital, Gurugram, said that patients have been coming in with pneumonia and respiratory failure,