Hospitalisation decreases, bed availability increases in Ludhiana district

Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 27

In what appears to be another sign of gradual retreat and plateauing of the devastating second Covid wave, the hospitalisation of the deadly virus cases has decreased considerably, increasing the availability of beds in both the government and private hospitals in the district.

The data compiled by the district administration, which is available with The Tribune, revealed that 2,156 beds — 1,856 in private and 300 beds in government hospitals — were lying vacant on Thursday evening. This accounts for 64.15 per cent of the total 3,361 beds — 2,911 in private and 450 in government hospitals — reserved for Covid patients in the district.

The situation has turned around within a month as there had been an acute shortage of beds in both the government and private institutions in the district since April 27 when the second wave of the pandemic was in full swing in the district.

Taking note of the situation, the district administration had acted swiftly and gradually increased the number of beds from 1,590 on March 31 to a record high of 3,361 on May 22. With no scope of increasing the already existing 450 beds in the government hospitals, the beds in private health centres were augmented by a record 155.35 per cent from 1,140 on March 31 to 2,911 on May 22.

The official records showed that 1,205 beds — 150 in government hospitals and 1,055 in private institutions — were occupied in the district as on May 27. The occupants included 1,046 confirmed Covid patients (135 in government and 911 in the private hospitals), while 159 suspected cases (15 in government and 144 in private hospitals) were also occupying the hospital beds. This was a record low of hospital bed occupancy in the district after April 26, when 1,082 beds were occupied. Since then, the bed occupancy had been rising every day and had touched its peak on May 12 when a record high of 2,072 beds — 1,846 in private and 226 in government hospitals — were occupied by serious virus patients.

Since then, the bed occupancy has been constantly on the decline with 2,053 beds remaining occupied on May 13; 2,031 on May 14; 2,022 on May 15; 2,012 on May 16; 2,037 on May 17; 1,918 on May 18; 1,851 on May 19; 1,771 on May 20; 1,719 on May 21; 1,653 on May 22; 1,562 on May 23; 1,500 on May 24; 1,356 on May 25; 1,256 on May 26; and dipping to a record low of 1,205 on May 27.