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

Even if the general Covid situation remains steady, several hospitals have already begun reporting an increase in the number of cases since the start of the current festival season.

While the total number of patients is still modest, several hospitals have reopened their Covid wards, with some seeing as much as 20% to 25% more patients this week than 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 physicianand 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.