GHAZIABAD/NOIDA: From 10% on March 27, the
occupancy rate in private hospitals of Ghaziabad has shot up to over 51% in just 15 days. The demand for ICU beds is higher. Currently, 61% of the 223 Covid ICU beds in the district are occupied. The figure was about 18% a fortnight ago.
Neighbouring Gautam Budh Nagar has also seen a similar trend in the past 10 days. While most private hospitals had 50 to 70 Covid patients in the first week of April, the number is more than 100 now.
Ghaziabad has 15 private Covid hospitals with a total of 1,075 beds, including 240 in ICU. A fortnight ago, there were eight private Covid hospitals with 793 beds, including 149 in ICU. On Sunday, 147 of the 240 ICU beds were occupied. On March 27, of the 149 ICU beds, 27 were occupied. In all 83 of the 793 non-ICU Covid beds were occupied on March 27. On Sunday, 551 of the 1,075 beds were full. Officials said some of the private hospitals have 100% occupancy at ICUs. At Yashoda (Kaushambi-26 beds and Nehru Nagar-25), Flores, Pratap Vihar (8), Ganesh Hospital, Nehru Nagar (10), Gayatri Hospital, Lohia Nagar (20) and Navin Hospital in Vaishali (25) all ICU beds are full. In some facilities, all non-ICU Covid beds are full.
District magistrate
Ajay Shankar Pandey said the total number of Covid beds in private and government hospitals is about 1,600 now and it will soon be increased to 2,000. Dr Sharad Joshi, principal consultant, pulmonology, Max Hospital, Vaishali, said: “This time we are getting more young patients. Moreover, people are developing complications quite early now. The window period for complications has reduced to five-six days from 10-12 days.” He said although many test negative, scans are picking up the infection. “Some patients said they did not have fever, but had headache, nausea and joint pain,” he said.
Dr Rahul K Sharma, senior consultant and head of pulmonology department, Yatharth Hospital, GB Nagar, said people are contracting the virus even after taking the vaccine. “One might feel less sick in that case but the person can spread the virus.
Dr Sunil Kumar, medical superintendent, Yatharth Hospital, Noida and Greater Noida, said all 375 beds in the Bisrakh branch are full. “On Sunday, we had to open the
Greater Noida facility. Till evening, 20-25 patients were admitted, most in the ICU and HDU,” he said. The occupancy rate of ICU and HDU beds is almost 60% in the district.
At Fortis, Noida, Sector 62, all 46 Covid beds are occupied, including nine ICU and 12 HDU beds, Mansi Jamb, the spokesperson said.
Ayush Chauhan, executive director, Prakash Hospital, said they had 40 patients on Sunday afternoon at their 75-bed unit in Greater Noida. By evening, 15 more came in. “About 20 are in ICU,” he said.