The COVID-19 pandemic might reachits peak in Madhya Pradesh in May and at least 27,000 more beds will be needed to cater to coronavirus patients at the time, a statistical study conducted by IIM Indore revealed.Assistant professor Sayantan Banerjee of Indian Institute of Management (IIM-I) here on Thursday said he had conducted the study along with four researchers, including professor Veera Baladandayuthapani, from University of Michigan in the United States."Our study suggests that the coronavirus pandemic might reach its peak in Madhya Pradesh in May, and to cater to patients at the time, we may need at least 12,000 to 27,000 more beds," he said.The state government should use the lockdown period to scale up health facilities, especially testing, Banerjee said, adding that it should promote social distancing and cleanliness.A Biostatistics expert, Banerjee said taking into consideration the galloping pace with which the virus was spreading, around 2,500 people were likely to get infected by the end of this month and over 50,000 by May end in the state.However, if neccesary steps are put in place to stem the outbreak, the number of victims can decline to 650 by April end and 3,000 by May end, he added.Meanwhile, with 110 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Indore, the count has shot up to 1,090 in Madhya Pradesh.Of 55 patients who have succumbed to the infection in the state, 39 deaths were reported in Indore alone.
