The district administration has reserved hospital beds for patients who need life-saving treatment to reduce fatalities.
“Earlier, hospital beds were allocated to all positive patients, including asymptomatic patients. This has led to shortage of beds to those who really needed closer medical attention,” said District Joint Director for Health Services R. Manoharan.
While those with least infection occupied the beds, patients who required oxygen and those with co-morbidities had to be sent to other districts.
“Now, we are advising people who test positive but without symptoms to undergo home quarantine or institutional quarantine at COVID-19 Care Centres. The beds are reserved for the people with health complication.
Thereby, patients who need life-saving treatment are admitted to hospitals in order to reduce fatalities,” he said.
Apart from 230 beds in Government Medical College Hospital, the district has another 520 beds in other hospitals across the district. These beds have got oxygen supply and ventilator facilities.
The Health Department has permitted 12 private hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients.
These hospitals have 150 beds.
The hospitals that have intensive care units, separate entry and exit for COVID-19 patients, good reporting system were allowed to give treatment for COVID-19, he said.
Meanwhile, the district saw the highest single day jump of 2021 cases when 79 fresh COVID-19 positive cases were reported on Thursday.
The number of active cases rose up to 365 after 15 patients got discharged from various hospitals.
The total number of positive cases till date increased to 17,420 and the number of discharged patients stood at 16,821.
COVID-19 related deaths in the district till date was 234.
