Noida: While one or two patients tested positive for Covid-19 on a daily basis from the three government OPDs in August, now, 25 to 30 patients are detected with the novel coronavirus every day from Sharda hospital, the district hospital and the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS).
For instance, Sharda hospital used to receive around 100 OPD patients every day in August after it resumed services and now, the daily
footfall has gone up to 700. While in August the hospital’s OPD hardly reported any Covid cases, now, it registers around 12-14 positive cases daily.
Similarly, GIMS saw around 100 patients daily in its OPD in August and the figure has doubled in October. From no positive cases in August, GIMS now records at least five Covid cases daily. In the Sector 30 District Hospital, too, the number of daily patients in OPD has gone up to 1,200 from 150 in July. The department now registers around eight positive cases every day compared to the earlier one or two cases.
The reports of such patients are uploaded on the website of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and they are given the option of hospital admission or home isolation according to the guidelines.
Dr Ajit Kumar, spokesperson for Sharda hospital, said, “Seeing the increase in the number of footfalls, we made our OPD charges free in September. And since then, we have been receiving around 700 patients daily and of the total, around 12-14 test positive everyday through RT-PCT test.”
GIMS director Brigadier (retired) RK Gupta said that they are running a general medicine/fever OPD and around 150-200 patients visit daily. “Of the total, at least four to five patients test Covid positive every day,” he said.
Dr Renu Aggarwal, the chief medical superintendent (CMS), district hospital in Sector 30, said that of the daily 1,200 patients at the OPD, the fever clinic alone accounts for around 300 patients per day.
“Of the 300 patients, around four to five patients test positive for Covid through Rapid Antigen kits and another two to three patients test positive in RT-PCR module. Sometimes, the number goes up till 10,” she said, adding that the patients are either shifted to GIMS or Sector 39 Covid Hospital.