THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has urged the government to declare a health emergency in the state following a surge in Covid-19 cases. The association also wants the government to enforce Covid restrictions as strictly as during the lockdown days. IMA state president Dr Abraham Varghese said almost all the beds in Covid hospitals are occupied.
“The current medical facilities will be insufficient, especially since the single-day tally of cases may cross 10,000 in the coming days. With a large number of healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, testing positive for Covid-19 daily, Kerala may soon face a scarcity of healthcare workers to treat patients. It is due to these conditions that we have demanded that the government declare a health emergency,” he said.
He also called for arrangements to control the transmission rate in the state.As per an IMA study, local transmission cases are increasing at an alarming rate, especially in Kannur, Palakkad, Kollam, Kozhikode, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam, where the situation is critical. The study which took into account the surge in Covid cases in the past one month revealed that each worst-affected district witnessed a 200-300 per cent spike in cases.