Fresh Covid cases dip, but high number of critical patients worries Pune administration

PMC on November 1 reported 377 new positives and 579 critical patients.

Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Sunday (November 1) reported 377 new Covid positives and 579 critical patients with 335 on oxygen support and 244 in ICU without ventilator. The high number of critical cases has left the concerned administration to appeal to doctors to focus on these patients to bring down the case fatality rate which continues to be over 2.6% as recorded on Sunday for the city.

Health workers at a Covid-10 testing centre in Dhankawadi, on Sunday. The second round of door-to-door survey under state’s “My Family, My Responsibility” campaign took place across the city between October 14 and October 21. (RAVINDRA JOSHI/HT)

The number of critical patients as of October 14 was 839 with 453 on ventilator and 386 in ICU without ventilator when 528 fresh cases were reported. In mid- September, when over 2,100 fresh cases were detected, the number of critical patients stood at 936 of which 480 were are on ventilator and 456 in ICU without ventilator. Experts believe that the number of critical cases has not gone down as proportionately as fresh cases which is a concern and needs to be attended to to bring down the deaths due to the infection.

Divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao said, “The critical cases is a cause of concern for us. Close to 600 are critical in Pune city alone which is why the case fatality rate remains high. Now that the caseload on doctors is less, we have asked the task force to focus on critical patients and change treatment protocol if needed for their speedy recovery.”

Dr Subhash Salunkhe, epidemiologist and chairman of the state technical committee on communicable diseases, said, “The current treatment protocol is tried and tested and its rightful implementation will surely give better results. It is also true that patients remain in a critical condition longer especially if they have comorbid conditions, which is why the number seems to remain constant for days. However, the decline has not been proportionate to new cases.”