As COVID-19 cases spike, Delhi faces ICU bed crisis again
The cases in the national capital are increasing and people are sidelining the use of mask and social distancing.
Many private hospitals having ICU with ventilator ward facilities have started to run out of beds. Out of 93 COVID-19 hospitals where this facility is available, 23 showed full occupancy on the Delhi government’s Corona app.
The availability of ICU beds with ventilators has gone down to zero and such hospitals include big names like Max, Fortis, Indraprastha Apollo and Aakash healthcare.
The doctors agreed that they have been observing this scene for the last 15-20 days since the cases are increasing. "We have been facing this scenario since mid-August," said Avi Kumar, Senior Consultant Pulmonology at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in Okhla.
Majority of these beds are occupied by people who are in Delhi for treatment from other cities or states. And the patients are taking longer to recover as well.
"People are coming from cities like Lucknow and Varanasi for the treatment in Delhi hospitals. They are taking more than two weeks, at least for the recovery. However, many patients develop residual symptoms, and they take an additional two weeks to cope with post-COVID trauma," added Avi Kumar.
Nothern Railway said that in view of providing additional healthcare facility to the people of Delhi NCR, Northern Railway on demand of the government is providing 503 isolation coaches equivalent to 8,048 beds as COVID19 Care Centers at 9 different stations of Delhi area.
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The situation could lead to further crisis. The daily infection of Covid-19 in the national capital, which was limited to under 1,000 for a while, have started recording more than 1,700 cases in the past seven days.
-PTC News
