Fast shrinking Covid beds keeps Chennai health authorities worried

By Thursday evening, almost 80 per cent beds in the five government-run tertiary care hospitals were filled up.

A senior pulmonologist with a prominent private hospital in Chennai told IANS on condition of anonymity, "Things are getting out of hand, beds are getting filled up fast even though we are shifting patients who need utmost care to the tertiary care hospitals. On Thursday, there were instances of 100 per cent occupancy of beds in some private hospitals, while some others reported 70-80 per cent occupancy."

Director of Medical Education, Narayana Babu, said that 20 per cent of the patients who are occupying hospital beds don't require them beds as their condition is not that serious. 

"We are advising these patients to get admitted to the Covid care centres or even go for home isolation," Narayana Babu told IANS.

Accordingly, the health department is taking measures to move patients in the tertiary care hospitals whose conditions are not that serious to the Covid care centres, besides reccommending home isolation.

Oxygen supply is, however, almost normal in the state, according to health authorities.