Spike in COVID cases in Delhi leads to low availability of ICU beds in hospitals

New Delhi: As COVID-19 cases rise rapidly in the national capital, availability of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds is declining, with major COVID hospitals showing “zero availability” of ICU beds both with and without ventilators, exposing the plight of the health infrastructure.

The latest figures in the Delhi government’s corona mobile application show that out of 1,252 COVID-19 ICU beds with ventilators, 1,010 are occupied, which leaves only 241 vacant. The situation of ICU beds without ventilators is equally worrisome with figures showing 1,529 available beds out of a total of 1,979, leaving 450 available.

The availability of COVID-19 beds in Delhi is experiencing a daily downfall with 8,108 lying vacant out of 15,911 beds.

Several Delhi hospitals under Central and State government show zero availability under the category ‘ICU beds with ventilators’, including Safdarjung Hospital, Northern Railway, and Sardar Patel Covid Army Hospital under the central government, and the Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital under the Delhi government.

Private hospitals such as Batra hospital, VIMHANS, Holy Family Hospital in Okhla, Max Super Speciality Hospital in Shalimar Bagh and Patparganj, BLK Hospital, Fortis in Vasant Kunj, Goyal Hospital and Urology center, GHIBS Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and RC Rohini, Kalra Hospital in Kirti Nagar and some other hospitals also have “no availability” of ICU beds with ventilators.

The AIIMS Trauma presently has only one ICU bed vacant out of declared 56. Max Samrat Gujarmal Modi has four available out of 51.

Dr Sheeba Marwah, Assistant Professor and COVID-19 Nodal Officer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital told ANI, “There is definitely a surge of cases. 100 per cent occupancy of ICU beds at this point in time reflects that a higher number of patients are in the in moderate to severe category. We urge the public to refrain from public outings and continue to take all respiratory precautions in the next few months.”

Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) told ANI, “90 per cent ICU beds are occupied now. The numbers have risen. We are also seeing a rise in indoor patients.”

In an important development, non-COVID ICU beds are also being filled up rapidly with 354 lying vacant out of total 1546.

Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, Group Medical Director of Max Healthcare said, “The number of cases has gone up and they are still rising. Occupancy in hospitals is filling up. Many people will stay in home isolation but as cases increase, the proportion of people requiring hospitalisation will also increase. The good thing is that over the past few months there has been a significant drop in the mortality rate”

“Any negligence in getting a test done or seeking doctor’s opinion when one shows COVID-like symptoms may be risking themselves. Such individuals run the risk of becoming critical in the second week of illness,” he added.

Delhi witnessed its highest single-day spike of 7,178 new COVID-19 cases on Friday taking the total count of cases to 4,23,831, including 39,722 active cases.