Coimbatore Corporation would share with the city’s residents the details of beds available at hospitals treating COVID-19 positive persons and care centres housing asymptomatic persons.
The decision behind sharing the details was made to quell rumours that there was shortage of beds and help COVID-19 positive persons choose a hospital, outgoing Commissioner Sravan Kumar Jatavath told The Hindu.
There was enough beds available in the district and within city as well. By making public the details on availability of beds, including those at private hospitals, the Corporation wanted to reassure the people that the civic body was ready to meet any exigencies.
The details that the Corporation share would be live in that the number of beds shown as available would immediately reduce if positive persons were added to hospitals or increase if persons were discharged.
As the list would include data from private hospitals as well, members of public could choose a hospital closer home, if they chose to, he said. And, for the hospitals to update the details, the Corporation would provide login and password for access.
Mr. Jatavath said the Corporation had also identified across the city that it could turn into COVID-19 care centres if there were to be a spike in cases, as anticipated. In less than 24 hours the Corporation would be able to add at least 1,400 to 1,500 beds,.
As for the Corporation stepping up its efforts in disinfection and conducting fever clinics, the outgoing Commissioner said the civic body had added 10 more mobile testing units at two each a zone.
The newly deployed vehicles would be in addition to the 32 vehicles that the civic body had given to as many urban primary health centres. The purpose of increasing the number of mobile medical units was to lift samples right at people's door steps.
On the Corporation’s COVID-19 latest containment strategy, Mr. Jatavath said the Corporation did a street-wise, area-wise, ward-wise analysis on a daily basis to decide on the next day's location for holding fever clinics.
It had a classified the city's 6,200-odd streets into three categories – up-trending, repeated and down-trending – depending on the case load, he added.