Despite surge in second wave, beds available in hospitals

Nitin Jain
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, April 16

Even as the second Covid wave was on the rise, the beds for critical patients in the hospitals are still available in adequate numbers in the district.

The official figures presented before the Central team, which was here to review the Covid situation and measures being taken by the district administration recently, revealed that 60 per cent beds in L3 facilities and 79.2 per cent in L2 facilities in the government hospitals were still vacant.

Similarly, 49.63 per cent L3 and 60.06 per cent L2 beds in private facilities were also not yet occupied in the district.

The data, a copy of which is with The Tribune, showed that 219 beds — 198 L2 and 21 L3 beds — of the total 285 (250 L2 and 35 L3 beds) in government hospitals were still available for the admission of needy critical patients.

In the private facilities, 788 beds — 585 L2 and 203 L3 — of the total 1,383 beds (974 L2 and 409 L3) were still not occupied.

Besides all the government facilities, 53 private hospitals have already been taken on board by the administration to admit and treat the critical virus patients in the district.

In order to trace and treat the infections at the initial stage, the average daily sampling has also touched a new high at 4,848 between March 22 and 28, which, however, dipped to 4,103 between March 29 and April 4, and 4,457 between April 5 and 11.

The sampling, which was as low as 1,927 between December 28 and January 3, gradually picked up to 2,239 between January 4 and 10; 1,988 between January 11 and 17; 2,009 between January 18 and 24; 2,053 between January 25 and 31; 1,961 between February 1 and 7; 2,405 between February 8 and 14; 2,397 between February 15 and 21; 2,502 between February 22 and 28; 3,736 between March 1 and 7; 3,830 between March 8 and 14; and 3,761 between March 15 and 21.

Comparatively, the average daily sampling was recorded maximum at 4,810 between September 14 and 20 last year, after starting from 925 between August 3 and 9. However, it was ramped up to 1,826 between August 10 and 16; 3,018 between August 17 and 23; 3,893 between August 24 and 30; 4,005 between August 31 and September 6; 4,720 between September 7 and 13.

It had started coming down to 4,598 between September 21 and 27; 4,068 between September 28 and October 4; 4,319 between October 5 and 11; 3,865 between October 12 and 18; 3,384 between October 19 and 25; 2,438 between October 26 and November 1; 1,955 between November 2 and 8; 1,969 between November 9 and 15; 2,170 between November 16 and 22 before once again going up to 3,272 between November 23 and 29, falling to 3,121 between November 30 and December 6; 2,775 between December 7 and 13; 2,496 between December 14 and 20; and 2,165 between December 21 and 27.