There has been a rise in the number of people being admitted to different city hospitals after they tested Covid positive. As per the data, 16 people were admitted in a single day on August 1 which increased to 53 on August 13 – three times more in the last 14 days. On the other hand, active cases have also crossed the 4,000-mark which accounts for 39 per cent across Maharashtra. Officials said the rise in cases could be due to seasonal and viral flu playing a major role due to which patients are getting admitted to hospital.
As of August 14, as many as 312 Covid patients were admitted to different hospitals in the city compared to 206 till August 1.
Senior officials from the civic health department said that most of the patients whose immune systems are weak and those with comorbidity are vulnerable to Covid.
“Senior citizens need to take extra care as they are more prone to contract infections. They should not delay treatment if they show any symptoms similar to Covid. We need to protect them from the ongoing pandemic,” he said.
Dr Smita Chavan, assistant dean, Seven Hills Hospital said, most of the patients are senior citizens and all have comorbidities due to which they require oxygen support. However, patients are recovering with no lung involvement.
“Currently there are 190 patients, of which 40 are in ICU as they have been transferred from other hospitals. But they are getting recovered in the 3-4 days except for elderly who have comorbidities,” she said.
Dr Rahul Pandit, a member of the National and Maharashtra Covid-19 Taskforce said, the numbers are not worrisome considering there is an overall jump in the cases. Moreover, the rate of hospitalisation has not increased compared to the previous waves.
“We need to be vigilant and monitor cases for the next two weeks as there will be a surge in daily cases. However, the good part is that most of them are asymptomatic and do not require hospitalisation,” he said.
Dr Pandit further said, “Hospital admissions are less as only one per cent of the positive cases are admitted to hospitals in the state. It shows the severity is low and therefore it is not a major cause of concern. But we need to wait and watch the situation closely to come to any conclusion,” he said.
