Record 11 Covid deaths take a toll on Punjab’s Mohali district

The tricity’s total stood at 14, highest in the second wave, with three deaths reported in Chandigarh and none in Panchkula

The number of Covid-19 deaths reported this month crossed the 100 mark in Mohali district on Saturday, with a record 11 people succumbing to the virus.

In terms of fresh cases, there was a dip across the tricity, as 1,765 people tested positive, down from an all-time high of 2,201 recorded a day back.

The tricity’s total stood at 14, highest in the second wave, with three deaths reported in Chandigarh and none in Panchkula.

In terms of fresh cases, there was a dip across the tricity, as 1,765 people tested positive, down from an all-time high of 2,201 recorded on Friday, a drop of 20%.

As many as 802 cases surfaced in Mohali, followed by 711 in Chandigarh and 252 in Panchkula.

Chandigarh had reported record 828 cases on Friday, while Mohali and Panchkula logged their all-time high on Thursday, with 931 and 459 cases, respectively.

Meanwhile, the daily positivity rate remained high in Chandigarh and Mohali, recorded at 19.4% and 17.7%, respectively, while it stood at 9% in Panchkula.

A positivity rate of 19.4% (which is approximately 20%) means that of every five persons sampled, one tested positive.

24-yr-old among those dead in Chandigarh

Eleven deaths reported in Mohali were the highest in a day since the outbreak, which took the toll to 540.

Among the fresh cases, 280 surfaced in Mohali city, followed by 163 in Kharar, 157 in Dhakoli, 80 in Dera Bassi and the remaining spread across the district.

The total has climbed to 40,969, of which 32,387 have been cured and as many as 8,042 are still active.

In Chandigarh, a 24-year-old man was among the three people who succumbed on Saturday.

A resident of Sector 25, he had acute intestinal obstruction and pneumonia and died while undergoing treatment at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. A 51-year-old woman and 61-year-old man from the city also succumbed, taking the death toll to 433.

Of 37,943 people tested positive so far, 32,608 have recovered while the number of active cases has climbed to 4,902.

Panchkula saw 45% drop in cases, with only 252 surfacing as compared to 453 on Friday. Also, in much relief, no death was reported after four days.

However, civil surgeon Dr Jasjeet Kaur clarified that 558 people tested positive in the district on Saturday, but addresses of only 252 could be confirmed. “The remaining will be checked tomorrow, and some of these cases might be added to Panchkula’s tally,” she said.

The district has reported 18,737 cases so far, of which 15,909 have been cured, 2,648 are active and 180 patients have succumbed.

Hospitals running out of ICU beds

The steep surge in cases has put a pressure on the health infrastructure across the tricity, with hospitals running out of beds for critical patients.

In Chandigarh, all ICU beds with ventilators have been occupied at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) as well the Covid hospital in Sector 48, while only one remains vacant at Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 17.

Of 303 Covid beds at the PGIMER, 255 are already occupied, including 57 ICU beds with ventilators.

At GMSH-16, only one ventilator out of seven is available while 88% of the 200 beds with oxygen support are occupied.

Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, is better placed with only 58 out of 155 beds occupied, and 18 out of 31 ventilators still available.

The hospital in Sector 48 has all its 17 ventilators occupied, though 70 of the 100 oxygen beds are still vacant.

UT health secretary Arun Gupta said that critical care beds from other ICUs are being shifted to Covid-19 ICUs to meet the exigency.

Meanwhile, Panchkula is left with not a single ICU bed for critical patients.

Hospitals in the district have 451 beds dedicated to Covid patients, of which 58 are with ventilators and 323 with oxygen support. While ventilator beds have reached 100% occupancy, only 72 oxygen beds remain vacant.

Overall, the occupancy (including for moderate cases) stands at 77%, with 346 of the 451 occupied.

Additional deputy commissioner Mohammad Imran Raza, in a statement issued on Saturday, said the district has a sufficient number of Covid beds and adequate supply of oxygen, and private hospitals have been asked to reserve 50% beds for Covid patients.

In Mohali, which is the worst hit in the tricity in terms of infection and deaths, 95% beds dedicated to critical Covid cases are occupied.

As of now, the district has 789 beds for Covid patients needing tertiary care, of which 220 are for critical cases (Level-3) and 569 for those needing oxygen support (Level-2). While 504 L-2 beds have been occupied, 208 have been occupied in L-3 category. Overall, the occupancy stands at 90.2% with only 77 beds left vacant.

To meet the increased demand for beds, the district administration has already directed seven private hospitals to reserve 50% beds for Covid patients, said deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan. The total bed capacity in private and government facilities is 1,844.

“We are also considering converting the L-1 facility (for patients not in need of urgent medical attention) in Gharuan, which has 1,000 bed capacity, to L-2 by providing oxygen supply. Apart from this, we are in touch with the army to set up a facility in Mohali as well,” said a senior administrative official.