Covid in India: Scare mounts as patients fill Kerala hospitals

Dubai - Kerala is becoming a Covid hotspot with hospitals struggling to accommodate patients as shortage of ICU beds and ventilators are being reported

The south-Indian state of Kerala announced a state-wide lockdown as its hospitals and crematoriums are getting filled in the wake of a deadly second wave of Covid-19.

"The entire state of Kerala will be under lockdown from 6am on 8 May to 16 May. This is in the background of a strong second wave of Covid-19," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a tweet on Thursday.

Currently, there is a night curfew in the state from 9pm to 6am.

Kerala reported a record-high daily tally of 41,953 cases in the last 24 hours on Thursday, and the total caseload has touched a whopping 1,743,932. The positive rate in many districts stand above 25 per cent.

As India touched a grim milestone of 20 million cases on Wednesday, and daily infections crossed 400,000, Kerala is also becoming a Covid hotspot with hospitals struggling to accommodate patients. A shortage of ICU beds and ventilators are being reported across the state.

“Our ICU is filled to the capacity. There are no ventilators for Covid patients. The situation is same in all hospitals,” PRO at the West Fort hospital in Thrissur, told Khaleej Times.

A staff at Ernakulam General Hospital said they are turning away patients because of lack of ventilators and ICU beds.

As per the Kerala health ministry’s statistics, a total of 3,868 Covid patients were hospitalised in the state in the last 24 hours. A total of 28,740 patients are currently in hospitals.

Many people have taken to social media to highlight the 'scary' situation of hospitals turning away patients. Anu Pappachan, a college professor, wrote on her Facebook about a harrowing experience of a 66-year-old patient, who died without getting a hospital bed with ventilator. "Her oxygen level was below 70. The relatives called Thrissur Medical College, District Hospital, Jubilee, Amala, Mother, West Fort, Chalakudy St. James, Potta and other areas in Ernakulam. But the ventilator was not available anywhere.,” she said in her post. The patient died at 4pm on Thursday.

As death rates mount, crematoriums in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad and Kollam have also reported a surge in number of dead bodies causing long waiting periods.

“We are fully booked for today and tomorrow. We cannot accept more,” said a staff at Shanthi Kavadam crematorium in Thiruvananthapuram.

The centre has gas and electric facilities and has the capacity to accommodate 24 bodies.

Chandan Nagar in Palakkad that has a daily capacity of 15, said they are also fully booked.

However, a top health official of the state said hospitals have 25 per cent more capacity to cater to Covid patients.

“Things are grim in Kerala as it is in whole of India. But things are under control and there is no need to panic,” Dr R. Ramesh, Director of Health Services (DHS), told Khaleej Times.

“There are 29 government hospitals and 320 private hospitals catering to Covid patients in the state. Government hospitals have 2,982 ICU beds out of which only 1,754 is used now. Also, we have 1,511 ventilators and only 441 is being used,” said Dr. Ramesh.

The private sector has allocated 6,213 ICU beds and 1,021 are currently occupied. Out of the 1,579 ventilators, only 375 are in use, the official said, quoting figures as of May 5.

The state has also set up 116 Covid first line treatment centres in all districts with a total bed capacity of 14,765. “These are for patients who do not require ventilators. Only 36 per cent of the beds are currently occupied,” said the official.

In addition, field hospitals are also set up in different districts.

“We have a micro-management system to monitor the demand and availability of ventilators, oxygen supply and hospital beds at a district and institutional level. We were actually ready for this increase in cases. We knew a second wave was coming,” said Dr Ramesh.

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