Coronavirus: ICU bed occupancy rises in Delhi hospitals as Covid-19 cases surge

In a continuous surge of Covid-19 cases in the national capital, a total of 2,914 Coronavirus cases were recorded in the city on Friday, which is the highest single-day count in the last 69 days. The death toll also shot up in the city with 13 more deaths reported on Friday, taking the tally to 4,513. Friday was the fourth consecutive day when the city recorded over 2,000 cases, sparking fresh fears of the second wave of Coronavirus in the national capital, according to an Indian Express report. With a sudden increase in the number of cases of infection, the bed occupancy by Covid-19 patients has also gone up, especially in private healthcare centres. According to the figures quoted in the Indian Express report, about 31 of the 79 private healthcare centres in the city, which have ICU beds for Coronavirus patients, are running full. The hospitals which have no vacant ICU beds include Max Saket (32 ICU beds), Max Patparganj (10 ICU beds), Indraprastha Apollo (12 ICU beds) and Fortis Vasant Kunj (7 ICU beds), among others.

A Delhi government source who wanted to remain anonymous told The Indian Express that more than 70 per cent of the patients admitted in the ICU beds of private hospitals were from outside Delhi. However, the source added that there is no dearth of beds in Delhi as of now, as there are about 131 Covid hospitals in the city; out of which only three are running full.

A senior doctor from the Vasant Kunj branch of Fortis hospital told The Indian Express that the hospital has been receiving queries from patients and their relatives about the vacancy of ICU beds. He also said that since all ICU beds at the hospital were full, the patients had to be unfortunately denied service. Dr P K Bharadwaj, chief executive director of Saroj Hospital, also said that the ICU beds at the hospital are full and patients’ requests are being turned down.

The increasing number of patients from other nearby states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand had led Delhi Chief Minister to reserve Covid-19 beds for the residents of the city only. The move was later overruled by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. The Delhi government source told The Indian Express that even today about 1,500 patients from the neighbouring states are occupying the Covid-19 beds. Presently a total of 4,500 beds have been occupied by Covid-19 patients in the city out of the total capacity of over 15,000 beds.