DW BUREAU / Chandigarh With Haryana witnessing a six-fold increase in coronavirus cases in a month, Health Minister Anil Vij on Sunday sought to assure people that there was no need to worry and all arrangements were in place to treat the patients. The cases have jumped from 339 on April 30 to over 2,000 now. A majority of the cases have been reported from Haryana's worst-hit districts of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar, which lie near Delhi, where the number of cases has been quite high. Vij said, "People need not worry. We have made all arrangements". The health minister told reporters that the quarantine bed facility available is 26,787, isolation beds are 8,929, ICU beds number 2,086, and 1,025 ventilators, 1.25 lakh PPE kits and 3.5 lakh N-95 masks are available. He said while 15 laboratories are functional at present, he has asked officials to set up a lab in each of the 22 districts, so that people do not have to travel far from their homes in case they have to get themselves tested. Replying to a question, Vij said there are 383 containment zones at present and nine Covid hospitals. "We are fully prepared. So far, we have over 2,000 cases and active cases are about 973. But we have made preparation to handle 12,000 patients, if they become active. We also have 26,787 quarantine beds so we can treat 38,000 patients," he said. Vij said they will hire 300 more doctors on ad hoc basis and also take services of private doctors, if needed. "In addition, if need arises, we will also seek services of all fourth year and fifth year students of all medical colleges in the state," he said. To another question, he said Haryana is discharging patients who test negative at least once after recovery. "We are following even more stringent protocols than prescribed by the Centre for discharge of COVID patients. Even mild cases need to test negative before being discharged and if we discharge them just after resolution of symptoms without test, then our recovery rate will go up," he said. Earlier this month, Vij said he differed with Centre's revised policy for discharge of coronavirus patients and ordered that those with even mild cases need to test negative before being discharged. As per the revised discharge policy for COVID-19 cases announced by the Union Health Ministry recently, the moderate cases of COVID-19 and pre-symptomatic, mild and very mild cases need not undergo tests before being discharged after resolution of symptoms. (editor@dailyworld.in)