Beds vacant at care centres as cases dip

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 14

With a decline in active cases and positivity rate reaching 90 per cent, occupancy of Covid care centres has decreased as a majority of patients are under home isolation.

The city has consistently been reporting a decline in active cases since September 16. Of 1,100 active patients in the city, around 800 patients are under home isolation while 150 patients each are in hospitals and Covid care centres.

The civil hospitals at Sector 22 and Mani Majra have no Covid patient while the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital at Sector 16 has a total of 21 patients.

The PGI has only 30 patients from Chandigarh, and the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, is taking care of 100 patients of Covid. Only two Covid care centres, Sood Dharamshala, Sector 22, and Dhanwantry Hospital, Sector 46, are partially occupied.

In April, the Health Department had created around 2,000 beds for patients in the Covid care centres under a contingency plan.

A doctor from the GMCH 32 said: “As Covid care centres in Panjab University have been closed down, Sood Dharamshala has started receiving more patients recently. The current occupancy is 112 patients at this centre.”

The Health Department has kept Panjab University three hostels, No. 9, 10 and International, as standby centres for Covid care, although their occupancy is nil at present.

The UT Director Health Services, Amandeep Kaur Kang, said: “Our Covid care centres at Panjab University are lying empty but we have reserved them for future as cases are expected to rise in winter and the festival season. The staff at the centres have been withdrawn for now. Our focus is now on testing and bringing down the daily positivity rate to at least 5 per cent.”

Centre appreciates UT efforts

Meanwhile, the Central Government today reviewed the Covid-19 situation of Chandigarh. The official spokesperson said the Union Home Secretary appreciated the arrangements by the Chandigarh Administration for tackling the pandemic.

During a video conference, Adviser Manoj Parida briefed that the recovery rate of Chandigarh was 90% and every 12th citizen had been tested as per the population concerned. He emphasised that arrangements such as beds, oxygen supply to hospitals as well as to Covid care centres are up-to-date.

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