Patients testing positive during pre-surgery routine screening, say private hospitals

Private hospitals have also instructed their emergency departments to keep a watch on people with influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) symptoms

Mumbai With the city recording a surge in Covid cases over the past week, private hospitals are seeing incidental Covid hospitalisations, that is patients who are primarily admitted for surgery or other ailments testing positive as part of routine screening. They are also seeing those with mild symptoms and comorbidities requesting hospitalisation.

They are also seeing those with mild symptoms and comorbidities requesting hospitalisation. (Vijay Bate)

Dr Pratit Samdani, internal physician and intensivist, Bhatia and Breach Candy Hospitals said, “Most of the Covid patients admitted in the hospital tested positive during the mandatory RT-PCR test done before surgery. Otherwise, Covid cases are on the rise but they are mild and require symptomatic treatment. We advise them of home isolation.”

Meanwhile, doctors also said that most Covid patients requesting admission are senior citizens. Dr Sunil Jain, head, emergency department at Jaslok Hospital, Peddar Road, said that 80% Covid patients currently admitted in the hospital requested admission because of comorbidities. “We have 13 patients, out of which six are senior citizens and two are between 50-60. They have symptoms like fever, cough and cold. All are stable. Only one required the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission,” he said.

Dr Santosh Shetty, chief executive officer, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH)-Andheri said, “Two weeks ago, we had no Covid patients. At present, we have 12, out of them six are in the ICU. Some patients are getting admitted as a precautionary measure because of comorbidities. Luckily, we are not seeing Covid-related pneumonia cases.”

PD Hinduja Hospital-Mahim, which has nine Covid cases, said that the majority of those admitted are senior citizens. “Until six weeks back, there weren’t any Covid admissions. Last month, we had a few positive patients and now there are around nine admissions out of which four are in the ICU,” said Gautam Khanna, CEO, Hinduja Hospital.

Private hospitals have also instructed their emergency departments to keep a watch on people with influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) symptoms and do mandatory RT-PCR.

Dr Vivek Talaulikar, CEO, Global Hospital, Parel said they have reinforced wearing masks for patients and staff and reserved eight Covid beds in their ICU. “We aren’t seeing any admissions. However, we are on alert and have kept the ICU beds reserved for Covid considering only critical ones will require hospitalisation. We have instructed the casualty department to do RTPCR in case the patient has symptoms,” he said.

Unlike private hospitals, public hospitals said that they aren’t seeing any incidental admissions as of now. “We are not seeing any incidental positive cases as of now,” said a BMC health official.

As on June 6, Mumbai has 24,579 beds, out of which 0.74% (185) are occupied. The city has 4,768 oxygen beds of which 0.29% (14) are occupied.

“In the last 24 hours, 8,610 contacts have been traced of which 6,237 fall in high risk, i.e were in close contact with positive patients and are senior citizens, have comorbidities. Currently, 53,057 patients are quarantined at home,” said a BMC health official. The city has no active containment zone or sealed buildings.

Meanwhile, the civic body’s three jumbo Covid centres - BKC, Malad and NSCI Worli- are on alert after cases started rising. After the decline in cases after the third wave, BMC had dismantled jumbo Covid centres like NESCO- Goregaon, Dahisar and Kanjurmarg with zero admissions.

“We are ready and can start as soon as we are asked. We have kept doctors on standby,” said Dr Prashant Mishra, dean of Malad Jumbo Covid Centre. The 2,200-bed centre started in January this year during the third wave but saw only 71 patients. Dr Rajesh Dere, dean of BKC Jumbo Centre said of the 2,500 beds, they have readied 200 beds with 30 in the ICU.

“We saw both incidental and requests for hospitalisation with mild symptoms in the third wave. Seeing the impact the virus had in the first and second wave, people with comorbidities, especially when they are senior citizens, do not want to take a chance and get admitted. In the first two waves, beds availability was a problem. In third wave, it wasn’t and as a precautionary measure, comorbid patients with mild covid symptoms could be admitted,” said Dr Gautam Bhansali, the chief coordinator of private hospitals for vaccination and Covid.