E-Paper
Demand for ICU beds high in Pune despite drop in positivity rate, active cases
Pune: The number of active Covid patients in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limit has reduced by 13,245 in the last 15 days (April 20- May 5)
Pune: The number of active Covid patients in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limit has reduced by 13,245 in the last 15 days (April 20- May 5). The positivity rate of the city has also come down to 21%. Yet, these numbers have not eased the patient load at hospitals. The count of hospitalised patients and demand for ICU has not reduced. According to the medical experts, home quarantined patients who have developed moderate symptoms are being now getting admitted. Also, patients from outside civic limits are getting admitted at city hospitals. The number of patients on oxygen support has increased by 600 since April 20.
“Patients in home isolation are getting admitted now, besides admission of outstation cases,” said Dr Sanjeev Vavre, assistant health officer PMC.
Dr HK Sale, executive director, Noble hospital, said that the number of patients in Covid OPDs has decreased, but hospital admissions have not come down. “Home quarantined patients with asymptomatic or mild symptoms are getting hospitalised. The condition of patients admitted in small hospitals is unmanageable but then tend to shift them to big hospitals. For example, admission of critical patients from the outskirts of PMC has increased. In the last few days, ICU demand is going high. Now there is scope to admit patient on oxygen beds. It was impossible last week,” Sale said.
Covid cases from rural parts of the district, which have emerged as new hotspots, are also getting admitted in city hospitals. The COEP Covid Jumbo facility was restated from March 22. Of its 2,250 patients admitted, 650 are outstation cases.
“These patients are from PCMC, rural parts, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur. Saving lives is priority. Over 2,250 patients are undergoing treatment at the jumbo facility since the second wave,” said Rajendra Muthe, PMC deputy commissioner.
“Number of patients who do not need critical care has reduced, but the demand for ICU is still high. Ventilators are still not vacant. Outstation patients visit hospitals in the city after seeing the Pune dashboard system bed availability status online. The hospitals are under pressure because of the patient count,” said Dr Vinod Bharati, Rising Medicare Hospital Kharadi.
According to the Pune division dashboard for bed availability, there are 210 designated hospitals in PMC area to admit Covid patients and 12,080 beds are allotted for Covid patients. On Thursday afternoon, no ventilator bed out of 806 was available in the city.
Count of active and hospitalised patients
May 5
Active patients in PMC 39,732
Patients in hospital 8,633
Home isolation 31,099
Critical patients 1,415
Patients on O2- 6,634
April 20
Active patients in PMC 52,977
Patients in hospital 8,619
Home isolation 44,358
Critical patients 1,277
Patients on O2 – 6,034
Allotment of beds in PMC limits (as on Thursday afternoon)
Covid hospitals 210
Allocated beds for Covid 12,080
Vacant 2,230
Isolation beds without oxygen 3,432
Vacant 1,556
Isolation beds with oxygen 7,227
Vacant 667
ICU beds without ventilator 615
Vacant 7
ICU beds with ventilator 806
Vacant 0
