The number of beds available in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in government hospitals in the Nilgiris is decreasing due to the spike in COVID-19 cases.
For the first time, the number of cases recorded on a single-day crossed 100 on Monday. Collector J. Innocent Divya said the number of COVID-19 patients, requiring hospitalisation, oxygen-support and Intensive Care Unit beds had increased during the second wave of the pandemic.
Officials from the Health Department said less than 40 % of total ICU beds in government hospitals in the district were vacant, with officials taking steps to increase the number in the coming days.
The Collector appealed to residents who had any symptoms to immediately get themselves tested.
She added that around 70-80 % of people who tested positive recently suffered moderate to severe lung damage, especially those that delayed getting tested and treated.
“This is why the first few days of the infection are crucial. If medical intervention is done immediately after people contract the virus, then the severity of the infection is much less,” said Ms. Divya.
She also appealed to people to not travel outside the district unnecessarily, as the number of COVID-19 cases in districts surrounding the Nilgiris was also increasing sharply.
Steps were being taken by the district administration to shift the Farmers’ Market in Udhagamandalam to a school ground at the ATC Junction.
The open-air market that would start functioning in the coming days will be safer for people to shop as the risk of transmission was less pronounced, officials said.
The district administration appealed to people to wear mask and maintain personal distancing.
A total of 12 containment zones had been established in the district in areas where there had been a high rate of transmission, with the number of such zones set to increase in the coming days, the officials said.
