For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no COVID-19 admission in the 24-hour beginning 8 a.m. on Wednesday at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), said E. Theranirajan, dean of the hospital. The hospital has set aside 2,050 beds for COVID-19 patients.
Fresh COVID-19 infections has been steadily declining in the city, with cases falling below the 200-mark after 55 days earlier this week. When compared to the previous wave, the number of patients being admitted to hospital were fewer in the third wave of infections. The steady dip in fresh cases has brought down the active caseload as well.
“In the third wave of COVID-19, we saw around 45 to 50 admissions a day. The maximum number of in-patients that we saw was 304 on January 10,” Dr. Theranirajan said.
At present, 12 patients — five who had tested positive for COVID-19 and seven who had suspected symptoms of COVID-19 — were undergoing treatment at the hospital. While none of them were on ventilator support, three were on CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure), two required high flow nasal oxygen and two required less than five litres of oxygen. The remaining five were in room air. “What we saw in this wave is that persons aged above 60 and had co-morbidities and were not vaccinated became sick and were hospitalised on being infected,” he said.
Dr. Theranirajan said there were fewer hospitalisations in this wave when compared to previous wave. “We triaged effectively, segregating asymptomatic individuals and those with co-morbidities as per the COVID-19 triage and treatment protocol,” he said.
