People in the 30-45 age group have been found to be more infected in the latest spike in COVID-19 cases in Ernakulam, according to the Health department.
The surge in cases among this age group may be due to their frequent movement in public spaces compared to the other age groups, including the elderly. With most of them having taken two doses of the vaccine, they may have visited crowded places or attended public functions, especially at the time of Christmas and New Year celebrations, said Dr. V. Jayashree, District Medical Officer.
However, there has been no sudden increase in hospitalisation of people in the 30-45 age group despite the increase in the number of persons getting infected in the category.
Dr. Jayashree said the Health department was ready to set apart around 1,000 beds in government hospitals and provide facilities to tackle a possible surge. “We could scale it up to about 1, 500 as per requirement by including beds in private hospitals,” she added.
The assessment by the health authorities showed that the number of non-COVID-19 cases had shot up over the last few days. They included dengue incidence and viral fever. Among hospitalisations reported among those infected by SARS-CoV-2, a majority have co-morbidities. Only those in need of urgent medical help are being admitted to hospitals at present.
The Health department said the earlier strategy of home isolation for mild cases would continue. This was necessary, as the possibility of a further spike in cases cannot be ruled out, it said, adding that those under home isolation should comply with the safety guidelines and the COVID-19 protocol.
Local bodies have been told to step up monitoring to check violation of norms. Efforts to improve vaccination coverage among teenagers have also gained improved focus in view of the worsening COVID-19 scenario, according to the authorities.
