COVID-19 | Guntur overwhelmed by second wave
Overcrowded hospitals, lengthy queues in entrance of labs and diagnostic centres and a way of panic writ throughout faces of anxious members of the family. The nights are crammed with uncertainty and the eerie silence is damaged often by the piercing sound of an ambulance siren.
These are the sights throughout Guntur, which is battling a vicious second wave of COVID-19 that has led to a sudden spurt in instances over the weekend.
Adding to the woes of sufferers is the shortage of oxygen at many hospitals. The obvious scarcity of Remdesivir — hailed by many as a surprise drug — can also be including to their worry.
For a metropolis that bore the brunt of pandemic in the course of the first wave, it’s stunning to see it struggling to deal with the second wave which started sweeping the nation from April 1, say consultants.
“We have beds available but there is no guarantee on the supply of oxygen. We are asking the patients to get antiviral drugs. We are helpless and unable to manage the surge of patients,” stated a hospital administrator.
With the scenario worsening, some sufferers have shifted to neighbouring districts.
“The situation in our hospitals is worsening. The scarcity of oxygen has made the situation worrisome. We had to run helter-skelter for a bed for a 70-year-old man. We managed to find one at a hospital, and then managed to procure an oxygen cylinder too. However, there was no flow meter to use and it. We finally managed to set it up by midnight, and we are hoping that he will recover,” stated a physician.
The healthcare infrastructure within the district is bursting at its seams because the explosion of the COVID-19 instances continues.
The district recorded 1,576 instances on Sunday, out of which Guntur metropolis alone recorded 445 instances, the very best caseload in latest instances.
The district administration, which efficiently managed to beat the primary wave, has swung into motion and allotted 6,000 beds at 54 authorities and personal hospitals to deal with sufferers affected by the virus. Collector Vivek Yadav constituted nodal officers to watch each hospital. A day by day file on hospital preparedness and present standing of hospitals and occupancy is being launched.
As of Sunday, a complete of three,906 beds can be found at hospitals, out of which 629 are ICU beds, 1,984 are non-ICU beds, 1,293 non-ICU and non-oxygen beds, and 307 ventilators. The district’s total caseload has crossed 1.03 lakh.