As Delhi prepares for Unlock 5.0 and more relaxations in the Covid-19 lockdown from June 29, hospitals still spell a bleak picture for the national capital as the number of Covid patients in the ICU and on ventilators are far higher than those in general wards.
Health data from Delhi government suggests that of the 27,284 Covid beds in hospitals, 1,037 are occupied and of these, 930 are either in the ICU or on ventilator support. The rest are in general wards with or without oxygen.
Serious cases in ICUs or on ventilators take much longer to recover, a senior government official told Indian Express. “Right now, new admissions in hospitals are very low, but many of those who were admitted three to four weeks ago and were in the ICU or on ventilators are still admitted,” he added.
In the deadly second wave of the virus between April and May, Delhi dealt with a severe shortage of hospital beds and medical supplies, with patients being turned away at the gate.
Its previous wave, in November, was much milder in terms of numbers. The government shut down Covid wards and asked hospitals to reduce the beds in February, just before the second wave hit. This time, the government has no such plans even though most Covid facilities are nearly empty.
Delhi recorded 89 new Covid cases and four deaths on Sunday.