Ranchi: The Covid-19 toll in Ranchi breached the 1,000-mark on Tuesday and the state capital has emerged as the worst-hit among all 24 districts in Jharkhand. A major chunk of the casualties has been reported since mid-March during the second wave of the pandemic – the toll stood at 250 on March 16 and rose rapidly to 1,010 on Tuesday.
The overall positivity rate in the district has reached 10.52% from a low of 0.7% during the peak of first wave in August 2020. The positivity rate in May this year is at an all-time high of 19.15% indicating that one of every five samples tested are found to be infected with the novel coronavirus. The figure for April 2021 was 18.76% when the second wave started rising from 5.25% in March.
Healthcare bodies urge govt to implement old roster system for oxygen supply for hospitals to prevent hoarding
Given the shortage of resources, there is an urgent need to improve synergy between agencies to minimize fatalities. File photo
Updated: May 5, 2021, 04:52 PM IST
A group of prominent health bodies, including the Association of Healthcare Providers-India (AHPI), Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO), IMA Hospital Board, and Delhi Nursing Home Forum have formed a COVID Coordination Committee to mitigate the traumatic situation due to the second wave and have urged the government to put old roster system in place for oxygen supply, directly from vendors to hospitals and desist individuals hoarding cylinders at home.
Doctors Down: Hospitals face staff shortage with frontline workers catching COVID-19
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Most hospitals have scaled up capacity by 10-35% to accommodate the increasing number of Covid patients and are recruiting more healthcare staff. But doctors, nursing staff and other frontline workers are increasingly staying away from work for 14-21 days after contracting the virus.
Reuters
Adding to the already grim situation in India s second Covid wave is the increasing number of healthcare professionals who are catching the infection. The medical fraternity has sounded an alarm -healthcare facilities are running on full capacity with fewer staff members.Hospital administrations have warned that the peak of second wave will hit India harder if this continues. The only positive is that since healthcare workers are mostly fully vaccinated, post-infection symptoms are mild to moderate.
On Delhi government allowing 14 private hospitals to temporarily increase their bed capacity to treat non-Covid patients
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Patients are seen inside a Covid-19 care centre and isolation ward facility near a hospital in New Delhi, April 13, 2021 | Parveen Negi
Express News Service
Following a representation by the medical directors of 14 private hospitals (which the Delhi Government had declared 100 per cent Covid facilities) with the Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, the government tweaked its earlier order. Now, the 14 hospitals have to cumulatively provide 3,553 beds for covid patients, while the rest of the beds can be used for non-covid patients.
âTreating Covid patients doesnât require the top-level medical expertise of these specialty hospitals where complicated and very advanced surgeries are performed,â said Gyani, speaking before the order was partially revised.
âItâs the governmentâs responsibility in New Delhi to prepare facilities to cope with the pandemic. When they failed to do so, they dumped their responsibility on to private hospitals to cover their own deficiencies. Thatâs no solution.â
Indiaâs healthcare system is a hybrid of free government-run hospitals and private hospitals and clinics. With the government hospitals underfunded, overcrowded and lacking in modern resources, particularly in big cities such as Delhi, private hospitals are seen as essential for those seeking more specialist treatment who are able to afford it. The 14 private hospitals which will now mostly be dedicated to Covid care are among the most popular in the city.