Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala, which has been an exemplary model in the fight against COVID and its management, is severely hit by the second wave of COVID. The test positivity rate witnessed a drastic surge in the second wave hitting at around 25 percent, with one out of four persons testing positive for Covid.
There is a 90 percent occupancy of ICU beds and ventilators in Government medical facilities in some districts and many hospitals are running out of beds for COVID patients. If the current trend of COVID super spread continues further, the health department officials warn that the State would reach an overwhelming crisis similar to the North Indian States.
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At present, the COVID transmission rate is very high in all 14 districts of the state with a test positivity rate of more than 25 percent.
While Thrissur records the highest test positivity at 32.66 percent, Malappuram and Kottayam districts also mark above 30 percent TPR. The situation is critical in Thrissur with 33 persons out of the hundred testing positive for COVID 19.
In seven districts including Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod, the current test positivity is above 24 percent. The steady rise in the number of COVID patients every day has affected the State’s healthcare system and has been overwhelming over the past few days.
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As many as 2741 ICU (Intensive Care Unit) beds have been readied in the Government health facilities. Of these, 1735 beds are already occupied, including 881 COVID patients. The rest of the beds are occupied by non- COVID patients who require intensive medical care. This indicates that 63.3 percent of the total ICU facility under the public sector is already in use.
To treat extremely critical patients, as many as 2293 ventilators have been set up in the state hospitals. 535 of these are also occupied at present. In 6 of the 14 districts, more than 70 percent of the ICU beds and ventilator facilities are in use.
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In Ernakulam district where the COVID transmission is extremely high, the hospital bed occupancy has reached 84.8 percent. In Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kasaragod, and Malappuram districts, 70 percent of the beds are occupied. The situation is such that even the COVID First-Line treatment Centres (CFLTC) are almost getting filled.
Health experts warn that the second wave of COVID transmission is to peak in the coming days. Nevertheless, the State Health Department is raising the capacity for COVID 19 critical care in public and private hospitals on a war footing.
