The sudden and massive surge in the number of COVID-19 patients and suspected cases in the district in just three days, following intense local transmission in the district’s coastal villages, has thrown out of gear all preparedness and planning by the district health administration.

The capital district has at present 939 COVID-19 patients as well as 856 persons with mild COVID-19-like symptoms, all of whom have been isolated at hospitals.

The fall-out of this sudden spike in the number of patients has been that almost all COVID-19 hospitals in the district — Government Medical College Hospital, SAT Hospital, and General Hospital — as well as the COVID first-line treatment centres (CFLTCs) are now filled to capacity.

The GH has some 170 patients and suspected COVID-19 cases; SAT around 40 patients, including pregnant women and children (another 60 beds were being found); and MCH, around 70. About 1,200 of the beds in eight or nine CFLTCs had been occupied by Wednesday evening . All Category A patients with mild symptoms and COVID-19-positive asymptomatic cases are being admitted to CFLTCs while only moderate (Category B) and severe (Category C) patients are being admitted to COVID hospitals.

Staff shortage

While the Chief Minister announced that a 750-bed facility will be opened up, health officials confided that human resources to manage the huge volume of patients in all the centres — doctors, nurses, and other ancillary staff — was going to be a major issue. “We had planned to earmark 500 beds at the MCH, but now we find that we can only manage about 300 beds or else our non-COVID-19 patients with serious illnesses will suffer,” a senior health official said.

“We might have to rethink our current strategy and resolve to isolate all mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases at their own homes, with strict monitoring by the health field workers because the numbers are becoming unmanageable. Up till now, we could afford to keep them in hospitals but we will have to free up space for serious patients,” he said.

Sources at the district health administration said that the calculation of available beds had gone all wrong and that the sudden spike in numbers had been unanticipated. However, public health experts say that it has been known all along that when the epidemic peaks, the surge in patient load as well as the proportion of serious patients could overwhelm even the best of health systems.

Private hospitals

Meanwhile, though the government had spoken about roping in private hospitals for COVID-19 care, it had not finalised the list of hospitals or given approval for the understanding reached with private hospitals, said A.V. Jayakrishnan, chairman, IMA’s Hospital Board of India. “There is no question of unwillingness on the part of private hospitals to treat COVID-19patients. We also need clarity on whether we can take in only patients referred by the government or if people can walk in on their own,” he said.