CHANDIGARH: Readying for a
possible second wave of
Covid-19, the
Punjab government has bolstered its
Level III facilities by adding 400
beds in intensive care units, having ventilators and oxygen support system for providing treatment to critically ill patients.
The addition has been done in the worst-hit districts of Jalandhar, Mohali, Amritsar and Patiala, which are contributing the most to the state’s
overall case tally.
After reaching a peak in mid-September, the
pandemic has shown signs of slowing down in the state. The number of cases has come down and the growth rate of cases, which at its peak had surpassed the national rate, has slipped below one now. Punjab’s caseload increased at a rate ranging between 0.2% and 0.7% from November 1-30. During the peak it had grown at a rapid pace of 6%.
While the current trend has been steady since the last two months, experts are expecting a renewed emergence of Covid-19 cases after the festive season and fear that the fresh wave may be harsher than the first one.
Anticipating a fresh wave, 100 beds have been increased in the government medical colleges and 300 in private hospitals across the state. With the addition of more beds, the overall capacity of Level III beds has touched 1,514, of which 1,128 are in private hospitals and 386 beds in government setup. As per the bed management data, only 459 beds are currently occupied. There are 7,919 Level II beds in the state, out of which 6,978 are vacant.
Jalandhar, one of the worst-hit districts, has the highest of 326 beds for critically ill patients followed by Jalandhar which is equipped with 317 level-III beds. Ludhiana has 309 such beds, Mohali 237 and Patiala 103.
Punjab Covid-19 spokesperson Dr Rajesh Bhaskar said that the addition has been done after assessment of all Covid facilities by teams of experts. "Even during the peak, a large number of beds were vacant. The addition has been done to ensure that there is no shortage of beds in case of rise in number of cases," said Dr Bhaskar. Adding, he said that real-time monitoring of availability of beds is done and strength of beds will be further increased if required.
As on November 1, the virus has infected 152,091 people and claimed 4,807 lives. Punjab has the highest case fatality rate of 3.2% in the country against the national average of 1.5%. It is the only state in the country with a death rate over 3%.
CATEGORY | GOVT HOSPITALS | PVT HOSPITALS | VACANT
Level II | 5,238 | 2,681 | 6,978
Level III | 386 | 1,128 | 1,055