Last Updated : Nov 23, 2020 10:30 PM IST | Source: PTI

COVID-19 update | Delhi govt asks private hospitals to reserve ICU beds getting vacant for coronavirus patients

Delhi government has ordered 90 private hospitals to reserve 60 per cent of their total bed capacity for treatment of COVID-19 patients, increasing 2,644beds.

PTI

The Delhi government has directed private hospitals here to reserve ICU and normal beds for coronavirus patients once these get vacant after discharge of non-COVID-19 patients. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Delhi government in orders issued last week had enhanced the percentage of ICU and non-ICU beds in many private hospitals in view of rising number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi.

Delhi government has ordered 90 private hospitals to reserve 60 per cent of their total bed capacity for treatment of COVID-19 patients, increasing 2,644beds. It has also ordered 42 private hospitals to reserve 80 per cent of their total ICU bed capacity for treatment of COVID-19 patients, thus enhancing 260 ICU beds for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

COVID-19 update | Amit Shah launches mobile RT-PCR lab in Delhi, will conduct free coronavirus tests

Close

In the last fortnight, there has been an unprecedented surge in the number of clinically severe COVID-19 cases, having less than 90 per cent oxygen saturation at the time of arrival to the hospital, requiring intensive care, said the DGHS order. "However, if in some hospitals, non-COVID patients are already admitted in more than 20 per cent of their ICU/HDU beds then in such cases once these non-COVID patients are discharged, the vacant ICU/HDU bed shall thereafter be kept reserved for COVID-19 patients only," said the order.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

View more
How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

View more
Show

related news

A similar order has been issued to the private hospitals where 60 per cent non-ICU beds have been reserved for COVID-19 patients. These 90 hospitals have also been allowed by the government to temporarily increase their bed capacity by 25 per cent depending on space availability there.

The government in a separate order last week had also allowed hospitals under it, to get COVID-19 patients tested from empanelled labs if they don't have the facility available with them. In view of COVID-19 pandemic and increased demand for ICU beds in the Delhi government hospitals, the medical directors have been instructed to augment ICU Beds by upgrading existing oxygenated beds.

Also, in view of increased demand of ICU beds and medical staff in the government hospitals, permission has been granted by the government to engage 4th and 5th year MBBS students, interns and BDS pass doctors to assist the doctors on duty.
First Published on Nov 23, 2020 10:30 pm

tags #Covid-19 #DGHS #Health #ICU Beds #New Delhi