5-10% of active Covid-19 cases currently require hospitalisation: Govt

Situation dynamic, could change rapidly: Health secretary warns

As the daily tally of Covid cases inches close to the 200,000-mark, nearly 5 to 10 per cent of active cases in the present surge have needed hospitalisation until now, the health ministry said.

Flagging concerns around the rising positivity rate in the country, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the situation is dynamic and evolving and, therefore, the need for hospitalisation may also change rapidly. He said that during the second Covid wave, 20-23 per cent of active cases needed hospital care.

India’s daily positivity rate on Monday reached 13.29 per cent and daily cases stood at 179,723. There are currently 723,619 active cases in the country.

On Monday, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, in a meeting with health ministers of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, said, “Let there be no lapses in our preparedness as we battle this surge of the pandemic. Holistic synergy between the Centre and states is most vital for seamless and effective pandemic management.”

The current rise, Bhushan said, is being driven by Omicron and the continued presence of Delta variants in large geographies across the country. “In this context, augmenting human resources, particularly healthcare workers, assumes critical importance,” he said.

In a letter to states, the Union health secretary also asked them to conserve the energy of health workers by staggering the workforce and restricting elective procedures in hospitals. “While various states have initiated steps for jumbo health centres and field hospitals, it must be appreciated that both infrastructure and human resources have their limitations,” Bhushan said.

Health workers in several hospitals have been catching Covid as the new variant is on the rise in the country. According to some reports, almost 750 doctors in New Delhi are out of action due to Covid infection. At the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) alone, 350 doctors are in isolation.

Delhi, which after two days of weekend curfew, recorded slightly lower cases on Monday (19,166) but saw a high positivity rate of 25 per cent, has decided to put more curbs in place such as shutting down dining at restaurants. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority has decided not to impose a lockdown at this stage.

All states have been asked to keep a daily watch on the total active cases, patients in home isolation, hospitals, oxygen, ICU and ventilator support. Based on this monitoring, the availability of health workers per facility has to be reviewed on a daily basis.

The health ministry has also suggested to states that they should, on priority, earmark different categories of beds in private clinics for Covid care, upgrade beds in Covid care centres to oxygenated beds as required, and add additional ambulances. It has also asked states to engage retired medical professionals or MBBS students for teleconsultation and for skilling of community workers in basic Covid care and management in the Covid care centres.

The Centre has directed states to leverage all the available resources to implement human resource strategies and skill upgradation of healthcare workers.