MARGAO: Hospital admissions of Covid-19 patients at the South Goa district hospital risen sharply over the past few days, with daily admissions more than double of last month.
On Sunday, 22 patients were admitted to the hospital, the highest single-day admissions this year. Another three refused admission. The names of those who refuse admission are emailed to the district collector, and they choose either home isolation or the
Covid care centre at their own risk.
The average daily admissions to the hospital, which hovered between five to eight patients last month, has now risen to 14. Its active cases have also doubled. Until last month, the hospital had an occupancy of around 40 cases. This number has risen to over 80 active cases.
Most patients admitted are middle-aged. There are also some elderly persons, along with young people who have comorbidities.
The hospital has patients in the ICU, in the obstetrics and gynaecology ward, as well as children in the paediatric ward.
“Up to last month, there were around 100 patients admitted every two weeks,” a junion doctor told TOI. “We are now seeing 100 admissions every week. Cases are galloping. We are slowly returning to what we experienced in October.”
The moderate to severe cases are treated at the hospital, while critical cases are referred to GMC.
From panic admissions last year, people have come to take the pandemic lightly and even refuse admission,
doctors say.
“I feel people have lost their seriousness about Covid-19. You see huge crowds everywhere, whether at market places or festivals, where people don’t wear masks. We must treat this as a dangerous disease and win this war,” a doctor said.
The recent elections also saw public figures flouting all Covid-19 protocols of wearing masks and following social distancing, putting several vulnerable people at risk.
“We are a young population, and the bulk of those under the age of 45 hasn’t been vaccinated yet,” the doctor said. “We cannot be complacent until the vaccination is sorted out. There’s no point in getting Covid and creating unnecessary illnesses.”
“It’s better to take care until everybody is vaccinated. Vaccination won’t prevent one from getting Covid, but will decrease the severity of the disease. It is the only alternative now, and has proved to be pretty safe in Goa and the rest of the country,” the doctor added.
“Nurses and doctors are exhausted and physically and mentally drained,” another doctor said. “It’s time people become Covid warriors and put themselves in our shoes and give us a break.”