NAGPUR: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), Zilla Parishad (ZP) and collector’s office were supposed to ensure admission of 20,764 Covid-19 positive patients in Covid Care Centres (CCCs) as per the state government’s revised guidelines, but factually, the patient count was just 450. Meanwhile, cases and deaths continued to high in the district.
With spike in cases, the government on March 23 had issued revised guidelines to contain the spread of the disease and control deaths. The government had stated that 30% of active cases should be in home isolation subject to being asymptomatic and having requisite facilities.
Nearly 50% should be in CCCs where 45% beds should be of non-oxygen and 5% with oxygen supply.
The government gave directions for 50% active cases in CCCs to prevent transmission of the disease and also deaths. “Temperature, oxygen saturation level and the six-minute walk test of all patients in CCCs should be taken every four hours. Patients should be immediately admitted in dedicated covid health centres (DCHCs) or dedicated covid hospitals (DCHs) in case the temperature rises above 98.7 degrees fahrenheit, oxygen saturation level depletes to below 95 and the results of six minute walk test are negative,” the government said.
As per data of district civil surgeon, active cases were 41,529 in the district on Tuesday. In all, 32,017 (77%) were in home isolation as against the guidelines of 30%. The number will be even more as the status of 3,758 (9.05%) patients detected for novel coronavirus on Tuesday was not known in the data of the district civil surgeon. in all, 5,304 (12.77%) patients are undergoing treatment in hospitals.
Shockingly, 450 (1.08%) patients were in CCCs of which 286 were in three CCCs in city and 164 in seven CCCs in rural. There were no patients in six CCCs in rural.
As per activists and corporators, there is no system prevailing in the district to check parameters of patients in home isolation every four hours. “Teams of NMC and ZP visit patients once after they test positive and later contact them on their mobile numbers. There are already many complaints that positive patients stepping out of homes and roaming in the district,” they said.
“Many patients are coming for hospitalization after deterioration of their health in home isolation. Those who died had reported oxygen saturation levels below 50-60 at the time of admission,” IGGMCH deputy medical superintendent Dr Sagar Pande told TOI.
On Tuesday, the district registered 3,758 positive cases and 54 deaths. After registering the highest-ever cases (76,250) cases in March, the district recorded 22,845 cases in just six days of April. The number is more than that registered in October last year until February this year.
Similarly, the district recorded 340 deaths in six days of April after registering 763 in March. The deaths in six days are more than that those registered in the entire month from November to February.
NMC officials said, “We are operating three CCCs having a capacity of 800 beds. In all, 286 beds are occupied of which many were brought to the CCCs as they were found violating norms of home isolation. 50% is a huge task but infrastructure can be created. Problem is that patients are not ready to stay in CCCs. No patients are in CCCs approved in private hospitals as on Tuesday,” they said.