Daily Covid hospitalisations in Mumbai have increased by 15% in the past four days amid a sharp rise in cases. The civic-run jumbo centres are racing against time to add beds, while private hospitals have started reconverting many of their non-Covid wards to Covid sections.
On Monday, 574 people were admitted to various city hospitals, up from 503 on Sunday, 389 on Saturday and 497 on Friday. A few hospitals have started recording a rise in ICU admissions, including many directly coming with low oxygen saturation levels. The BMC’s Monday figures showed that 12.2% (3,735) of the 30,565 Covid-19 beds in Mumbai are occupied. Of the 2,720 ICU beds, 14% are filled up. The city has been witnessing a surge in cases for the past two weeks and a rise in critical cases is typically seen from the second or the third week onwards
.A lion’s share of the Covid beds in the city is in the public sector. As on Monday, the private sector had just 5,192 Covid beds, of which 838 (16%) regular beds and 180 (3%) ICU beds were occupied. At the Nesco jumbo centre in Goregaon, daily admissions have increased from seven on December 26 to nearly 120 on Monday. Around 510 beds out of the 1,172 ready ones were occupied on Monday noon. Dean Dr Neelam Andrade said they are planning to activate all 2,738 beds by January 10 and are recruiting healthcare workers every day.
The ICU occupancy has risen to 20 from five a week ago, filling up 42% of the 48 beds. “Patients are requiring oxygen support, but nobody is on a mechanical ventilator,” she said.
The Richardson and Cruddas jumbo hospital in Mulund is admitting between 70 and 90 patients daily. Dean Dr Pradeep Angre said till a week ago, they were admitting half that count. Ten of the 60 ICU beds are currently occupied.
Surjitt Sahani
