HYDERABAD: Though hospital occupancy is rising by 4 per cent to 9 per cent each day, hospitalisations due to Covid-19 still remain low in the third wave. This is because the majority of patients reaching hospitals are those who were already scheduled for a medical procedure and had tested positive prior to admission.
For instance, of the over 70 patients in the ICU at the Gandhi Hospital, a majority are elderly undergoing age-related procedures in other hospitals, but had tested positive for Covid-19 and shifted here. This is because Gandhi is the only tertiary care hospital with all super-speciality services alongside Covid-19 care.
“While the majority are elderly, we also have six young patients in Covid-19 ICUs with chronic kidney ailment. In another trend, there were three trauma cases who, after treatment, tested positive for Covid and were sent here. Also, a few bone injury cases admitted to other hospitals were found to be positive and sent here,” explained Dr. M Raja Rao, Superintendent, Gandhi Hospital
In these cases, doctors observe that Covid-19 only acts as a viral infection, not necessarily worsening their pre-existing health condition. “In almost all cases, it is the preexisting medical issue that had proved fatal, since by the time they get infected, they are already in a feeble condition,” added Dr Rao. He assured that while infectivity rate is very high, hospitalisations purely due to Covid-19 complications remain low and one need not worry.