The COVID-19 infection rate has been increasing in the Kathmandu Valley for the last two weeks.
As reported by various hospitals in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur, the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) have already been packed with virus-infected patients and the Valley denizens would again have to face a shortage of general beds in the upcoming days if the cases continue to surge in the same rate.
According to Dr. Anup Bastola, director at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, the flow of COVID-19 patients had increased in the hospital in the last 15 days.
“Of the 40 beds separated for infected patients, 25 are currently occupied. Similarly, the 24-bed ICU has already been packed,” said Dr. Bastola.
He added that of the infected patients admitted to the hospital, maximum were from out of the Valley.
TU Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj has also seen a rise in the flow of infected patients. “All 40 ICU beds have been filled with COVID-19 patients and of them, 17 are in ventilator,” said Dr. Santa Kumar Das, COVID focal person at TUTH, adding, “The hospital has separated 115 general beds for treatment of virus-infected people and of them, 85 are currently occupied.”
Sajan Rajbhandari, media coordinator of HAMS Hospital, also informed that the number of infected people being admitted to the hospital was on the rise lately.
All 13 ICU beds at HAMS hospital have been filled with infected patients. “Currently, five patients are under treatment with ventilator facility. Also, 42 out of 49 genera beds are also in use for the treatment of infected people,” said Rajbhandari.
Moreover, media coordinator at Norvic Hospital Somnath Bastola said that all 36 beds including 17 general beds and 19 ICU beds separated for treatment of COVID-19 patients were packed. “We are compelled to refer new patients to other hospitals due to the shortage of beds,” said Bastola.
The recent surge in cases of novel coronavirus infection has also impacted COVID Unified Hospital. Dr. Bhupendra Bahadur Basnet, chief administrative officer at the hospital, told The Rising Nepal that the number of virus-infected patients visiting the hospital was increasing day by day.
The hospital has 163 general and High Dependency Unit (HDU) beds and 40 ICU beds. “Currently, 20 are under treatment in the ICU and 88 patients are admitted to the general beds,” said Dr. Basnet, adding that all the hospitals might be overflowed with COVID-19 patients if the daily infections continued to increase in the same manner.
Source : TRN,
