Hospitals in Ernakulam district relieved as Covid cases come down

KOCHI: The increasing number of Covid recoveries over the past weeks has come as a relief for hospitals in Ernakulam district. Besides, asymptomatic patients and those having mild symptoms opting for home treatment and expressing willingness to undergo further treatment at home without waiting for Covid negative results have come as a further boon, especially for private hospitals. As a result, more ICU beds have been vacated, creating room for admission of more seriously ill Covid patients.

“There was a time when the hospitals were overburdened with Covid patients. Our hospital beds were full and there was no further room for more admissions, as we struggled to create more facilities. The situation has changed slightly for the better now. The number of patients has come down, and, unlike the initial days, patients are now willing to continue treatment at their homes. Therefore, we have vacant ICU beds to cater to emergency cases,” said a doctor with a major hospital in Ernakulam.  

In some cases, even after the patient has recovered from the illness and does not exhibit any of the symptoms, Covid test results show positive. In such cases, the hospitals have been given the option to ask the patients if they can quarantine themselves at their homes. If they are willing, they are discharged. “Many are opting for further treatment at homes, which is a really good sign. Health workers can keep track of their con-dition and tests can also be done as per planned schedules,” said a health official. 

As on Friday, 535 patients are being treated at various private hospitals, while there are 750 patients in isolation in hospitals as of last month. The district administration, in October, had directed private hospitals to keep aside 25 per cent of their high-dependency and ICU beds reserved for Covid patients. Many smaller hospitals, which did not have the necessary infrastructure and human resources, struggled to meet this requirement. 

“Even for major hospitals, it is very difficult to keep aside 25 per cent of total beds, as private hospitals also have non-Covid patients to cater to. However, if the active cases come down, this seems more feasible,” said Dr Monu Varghese, pulmonologist at a Kochi hospital.