THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Covid-19 cases in the state capital may be showing a decline. However, the district has nothing to cheer about as its fatality rate is slowly climbing, setting alarm bells ringing among health officials. At 50,368, the district has the highest number of confirmed cases in the state.According to district health authorities, the case fatality rate (number of deaths compared to total persons infected) in the capital district, which currently stands at 0.7% with 356 Covid deaths, is likely to rise to 1% soon based on the current trend.
It is learnt that there has been a steady spike in the number of Category C Covid patients (moderate to severe cases) in the district which is being said as the reason for the increased number of deaths.Experts say the number of patients needing critical care has gone up to 4% from the 1-2% in the past few weeks. This is being cited as one of the reasons for the rise in Covid deaths. As of Monday, the district had 9,205 active cases of whom nearly 800 patients were under treatment in various private hospitals.
Sources said the Central team that visited the capital district was also not happy with the way restrictions were being imposed in containment zones and the members had criticised the authorities for the surge in cases. Recently, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday had also flayed the state government for not handling Onam festival season properly which, he had said, contributed to the spike in Covid-19 cases.
With the district deciding to promote home isolation for asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients, the bed occupancy at Covid first-line and second-line treatment centres — CFLTCs and CSLTCs — has come down. It is learnt that over 60 per cent beds at second-line treatment centres and around 50 per cent in first-line centres are unoccupied. Health authorities said several Category C patients who are getting admitted at the General Hospital and MCH are refusing for back referrals (being sent back to second or first line treatment centres) even after they get better.
“Some patients are pulling strings and trying to get recommendations from politicians to let them continue treatment at the MCH and GH until they get discharged. We cannot entertain this as a large section of patients who are getting sick require critical care and we need to make infrastructure available for them. We have given a strict direction to enforce back referrals at MCH and GH,” said a senior official with the District Medical Office. It is learnt that 95% of the patients getting critically ill in the district have comorbidities.
treatment centres
No. of CFLTCs in T’Puram dist: 24
Number of beds: 2,930
Occupancy: 1,502
No. of CSLTCs in dist: 4
Number of beds: 675
Occupancy: 267