All 250 ventilators for coronavirus patients at Mumbai’s government hospitals are in use, such is the rate of infections.
New Delhi, May 14:
Mumbai’s hospitals are receiving so many coronavirus patients each day that it has been forced to give up on any “social distancing” in COVID-19 wards.
Almost all 3,500 beds for coronavirus patients in the country’s financial capital are occupied, and more are urgently needed.
Hospitals have decided to reduce the gap between beds to squeeze in more virus patients.
“Since the patients are already infected, why keep the gap,” said an official.
In 24 hours, 1,500 new beds have been added to the city’s hospitals by reducing the distance between COVID-19 beds.
For instance in Nair hospital, the number of beds have gone up from 336 to 800, in KEM Hospital from 200 to 220 beds, and in St George, from 400 to 690 beds.
All 250 ventilators for coronavirus patients at Mumbai’s government hospitals are in use, such is the rate of infections.
Private hospitals have been asked by government authorities to urgently arrange for 200 ventilator beds, from their Cardiac Care Units (CCUs).
Mumbai has the most number of coronavirus cases among cities; by the end of this month, it may have 50,000 patients.
The city home to India’s film industry as well as financial markets accounts for 21 per cent of the total COVID-19 cases in the country.
With a death rate of 3.71 per cent, Mumbai has already reported 556 deaths linked to COVID-19, which is 60 per cent of Maharashtra’s 921 coronavirus deaths so far.
