KOCHI: With the elections over, the point of focus has once again shifted to curbing the Covid-19 spread in the district. By the final lap of campaigning, the number of fresh cases reported in Ernakulam had begun rising steadily. Hospital admissions of Covid patients have also gone up over the past two weeks.
According to health department officials, on March 25, the number of Covid patients under treatment at various private hospitals in the district stood at 144. That has now risen to 262. “The hospital bed occupancy has gone up at major private hospitals. It is very important to shift focus back to Covid-19. Strict action should be taken against those disregarding the Covid protocol, and not wearing masks and not maintaining social distancing in public,” said Dr Monu Varghese, a pulmonologist based in Kochi.
Amid the Covid surge, the demand is rising among the general public and health officials for the government to strengthen measures to curb the spread.“The consequences of negligence from the part of people will be worse this time. We are expecting more deaths and critical cases in the second wave,” said a health official. Meanwhile, a doctor with a private hospital cited Thrikkakara as a region with a high number of Covid cases.