The silver lining — Only 4.1% patients in hospital

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 10

Only 4.1 per cent of the patients currently infected with Covid-19 are hospitalised in Chandigarh, while the remaining 95.9 per cent are in home isolation.

Of the 3,253 active cases in the city, 135 patients are hospitalised, while 3,072 are in home isolation and 46 are in Covid care centres.

Sufficient manpower to tackle surge

At present, our hospitalisation rate is very low. We have sufficient manpower and infrastructure for the surge. Dharam Pal, UT Adviser

This is in contrast with the deadly second wave when at least 15 to 20 per cent patients were hospitalised in the city at any point in time. The city had first reported nearly 900 cases on May 10 (last year) when there were 8,653 active cases and 15 per cent of them were hospitalised.

Confirming similar hospitalisation trends, the Centre on Monday wrote to states and union territories that “5 to 10 per cent of the active Covid cases this time so far needed hospitalisation but the situation is dynamic and may change rapidly. Therefore, the need for hospitalisation may also change rapidly.”

Of the 430 Covid oxygen beds in city hospitals, 209 were occupied by Covid patients and nine more patients were on ventilator beds. However, it is worth mentioning that Chandigarh has not reported a single death due to Covid-19 since January 5 and only one patient succumbed to the disease last month.

UT Adviser Dharam Pal said, “At present, our hospitalisation rate is very low. We have sufficient manpower and infrastructure for the surge. However, my only concern is regarding the comorbid and elderly population, which will be at risk of developing serious illness due to Covid.”

Meanwhile, in order to prepare for the worse, the UT Health Department has asked private hospitals and private oxygen refilling vendors to keep information related to bed occupancy, oxygen cylinder procurement and consumption.

UT Health Secretary Yashpal Garg said, “The number of Covid patients is increasing at an alarming speed and the situation is being closely monitored. At present, there is no need to fix the daily quota of oxygen cylinders for private hospitals in Chandigarh and to regulate refilling charges by private refilling vendors. However, it has been decided that the private hospitals and the private refilling vendors will keep details and produce these as and when required."