Several hospitals reopen Covid-19 wards after uptick in number of cases

Several hospitals reopen Covid-19 wards after uptick in number of cases

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:25.10.2021

Even as the overall Covid situation remains stable, after the onset of the ongoing festival season, some hospitals have already started reporting an uptick in the number of cases.

While the absolute number of patients still remains low, many hospitals have reopened their Covid wards with some seeing even 20-25% more patients this week, as against a week ago. A doctor reported that while there were five cases in his hospital in the past two months, the previous week saw the same number. Some rise in infections is expected as mobility increases and a slackness creeps in, but cases are being watched carefully, the doctor said.

Most doctors maintain that vaccination has helped to keep the situation remain under control and serious cases are few. However, the next two-three weeks will be crucial and actual manifestation of the infection will begin after that, they say. “We are seeing a sudden increase in cases and have reopened the Covid ward this week, which we had to shut down earlier as there were hardly any cases and instead we were witnessing a rush of dengue cases,” says Dr Charu Dutt Arora, consultant physician and Covid-care expert at Asian Institute of Medical Sciences. Doctors also recommend increase in testing to assess the exact situation and keep a watch on any possible mutation. “Delhi is still largely stable but in last one week it has begun to trickle as there is a slight increase in number of cases,” says Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant (internal medicine) at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.