Patients travel to city for Covid treatment

AS OF MAY 12, THERE IS 46% VACANCY AT COVID HOSPS, CENTRES; 10% IN ICU BEDS, 44.94% OXYGEN BEDS AND 5.49% IN CASE OF VENTILATOR BEDS

AMUMBAI: As bed availability in the city has gone up with a decline in daily positivity rate, the city has recorded a rise in the number of Covid-19 patients from other cities and states.

According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, this is due to the shortage of beds in many states, especially in Northern India.

Earlier, of the total patients admitted, 10%-20% were outsiders (non-residents of Mumbai). However, this number has now gone up to 30% with an increase in bed availability, BMC officials said.

As per the BMC data, the bed availability ratio was 22% in dedicated Covid hospitals and centres, as of April 7. The availability ratio for intensive care unit (ICU) beds was 6%, 20% for oxygenated beds and 4.95% for ventilators, as of April 7. This went up to 46% vacancy in dedicated Covid hospitals and centres, 10% in ICU beds, 44.94% oxygenated beds and 5.49% in case of ventilators, as of May 12. In this period, there was a significant jump in the capacity of overall beds in dedicated Covid hospitals and centres followed by ICU beds, oxygenated beds and ventilators.

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner, said, “Mumbai has witnessed the trend of non-resident citizens getting admitted in Mumbai since the start of the pandemic. In this, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) tops, wherein citizens from Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan etc are admitted. But infected patients from within and outside states have also been flying to Mumbai for admission, and the inflow has increased by around 10%.

Kakani added, “Earlier, we had 10% to 20% patients, from outside Mumbai, admitted in city hospitals, now that figure has gone up to 30%. Among this, many also prefer civic-run SevenHills Hospital.”

Further, Bombay Hospital in south Mumbai has also seen an increase in the number of Covid patients coming from outside Mumbai. Dr Gautam Bhansali from Bombay Hospital said, “We are seeing patients coming to Mumbai via air ambulance as there is a shortage of beds in their hometowns. I have got two patients who flew via air ambulance from Delhi two days ago as they were not getting a bed there. I have a patient who came from Jodhpur and got admitted to Bombay Hospital. Apart from this, within the state, too, we see those infected with Covid flying to Mumbai via air ambulance. We are going to treat a patient tomorrow who is arriving from Jalgaon.”

The city has over 85,000 beds that include isolation beds in quarantine centres, ICU beds, oxygen beds, ventilators and normal beds in dedicated Covid hospitals and centres.

Meanwhile, on Thursday the city reported 1,952 cases and 68 deaths. The city reported a daily positivity rate of 6.31% as 30,884 tests were reported on Thursday. With this, the city’s tally has gone up to 683,185 and death toll has reached 14,040.

The city’s fatality rate is 2.05% and recovery rate is 92% with 630,900 recoveries. There are 36,338 active cases in the city. Dharavi — city’s former hot spot — reported nine cases on Thursday, taking its total case count to 6,662.