Gurgaon adds over 3k cases again, but where are hospital beds?

Gurgaon: The city added 3,136 more Covid-19

cases

on Saturday, taking the tally to 99,874. Saturday. Official data showed only 16 oxygen

beds

and one ICU bed were available. TOI called up 10 different

hospitals

in the city and found no

Covid

bed available. Most of the hospitals said they already have a waiting list of patients and can’t admit any new ones. Calls to the CMO helpline 0124-2322412 weren’t received.

As per the data gathered from the covidggn.com portal, one ICU bed was vacant at Vardaan hospital on Saturday evening, but no ventilator bed was available till the time of filing this report. The oxygen beds available include 11 at Medeor Hospital, three at Signature Hospital and one each at Kamla and Vardaan hospitals.

Aashish Mudgil, a resident of Sector 47 made around 15 calls to city-based hospitals for his 70-year-old father who has Covid and diabetes on Saturday. “Everywhere I called, ICU and ventilator beds were full. I was asked to register my name and number so that I can be informed when a bed gets vacant,” he said.

Dr Kartar Singh Yadav, state organising secretary, IMA (Haryana chapter), said Covid patients from Delhi and other parts of NCR are coming to Gurgaon and other adjoining districts in Haryana to get oxygen beds. “We have appealed to our members to add as many beds as possible. We also request bigger hospitals that have not admitted Covid patients so far to earmark a few beds to tackle the rush,” he added.

In a recent order, all city hospitals were directed to ensure that 75% of their ICU and ventilator beds and 60% beds in the general category are reserved for Covid patients. Deputy commissioner Dr Yash Garg said, “We can take over the ESI hospital in Manesar and a community centre adjoining it to set up a facility of 150 beds there.”

Meanwhile, Gurgaon’s tally of active cases rose to 23,046 on Saturday. Out of this, 22,015 patients are in home isolation. The positivity rate stood at 25% on the day. Health department officials said that eight people died of Covid, taking the toll to 418. At present, the case fatality rate is 0.4%. With 842 recoveries reported on Saturday, the total number of recoveries increased to 76,410. The recovery rate stands at 76.5%.

As many 4,319 people had tested positive for Covid on Thursday, in what is so far the district’s sharpest single-day spike in cases.