1,116 out of 12,104 oxygen beds in Delhi hospitals occupied

Atotal of 1,142 COVID-19 oxygen beds out of 12,156 beds are occupied in Delhi hospitals, while 71 ICU beds with ventilators have patients, with hospitals saying that a majority of hospitalised patients are those with comorbidities and elderly.

Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) hospital's medical director Suresh Kumar said only four coronavirus patients are on ventilator support at the facility and they have comorbid conditions.

''One of the ventilator patients has brain tuberculosis, one has cancer and both are aged. Bed occupancy is more due to people who have comorbid conditions along with Covid,'' he said.

The hospital at present has 35 patients who are suspected to have contracted the Omicron variant of the virus. Their genome sequencing reports are awaited, while 150 patients infected with the variant of concern have been discharged from the hospital since December 1.

Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain allayed fears about the numbers showing on the Delhi Corona mobile application and said most of the hospital beds in the city are oxygen beds and a patient occupying an oxygen bed does not necessarily mean that he requires the life-saving gas.

He also said of the 750 beds in LNJP hospital, 500 are oxygen beds.

The minister noted that the discrepancy in the data on hospital bed occupancy on the Delhi Corona app and the government's health bulletin is because ''most beds in the hospitals have been converted into oxygenated beds''.

''If there are patients on such beds, it does not mean they require oxygen. Similarly, if a patient is on a ventilator bed, it does not mean he requires ventilator support,'' the health minister added.

According to the Delhi Corona app, of the 12,104 oxygen beds, 1,116 are occupied and of the 1,677 ICU beds with ventilators, 72 are occupied in the national capital.

Davinder Kundra, Consultant - Pulmonology, HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka said 80-85 per cent of the patients are those with mild symptoms.

''Patients with moderate to severe disease need hospitalisation. The hospitalisation has not increased like the previous wave. The hospitalisation is manageable. Most of the patients have comorbidities and are 45 plus.

"The younger patients with comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes, chronic heart or lung disease, chain smokers are more likely to require hospitalisation. Only 5 per cent to 10 per cent are those with no comorbodities and are having moderate symptoms. There are around 30 patients and 26 of them have comorbidities,'' he said.

Similarly, at Aakash Healthcare, only two patients are in ICU and they are not quite critical.

Kousar Shah Ali, COO, Aakash healthcare group, said, ''We have 18 patients who are COVID-19 positive and have 44 beds for such patients. The moment we touch 40 beds, we will open another area with 22 beds. Patients have not required oxygen till now. Only two of the patients are in ICU but are not very critical, while 16 are in Covid ward. The 18 patients are mostly those with comorbidities and elderly.'' 

According to official data, the number of COVID-19 patients in the city hospitals has increased by 107 per cent in just two days -- from 342 on Monday to 708 on Wednesday. The number stood at 482 on Tuesday. There are 22 patients in severe condition in hospitals compared to seven on Monday and 14 on Tuesday. Out of 708 patients, 551 are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms and did not require oxygen.