The district on Wednesday recorded an all-time high of 6,558 cases of COVID-19, taking the active caseload to 58,379.
The test positivity rate (TPR) stood at 26.54%, meaning one in four people tested positive for the virus.
Fourteen health workers were among the infected.
Thrikkakara recorded 251 new cases, while Pallipuram had 204, Thripunithura 164, Kumbalangi 132, Koovappady 126, Kizhakkambalam 122, Elamkunnappuzha 112, Kadungalloor 111, Perumbavoor 106 and Kunnathunad 102 cases.
There were just 2,732 recoveries, while new hospital/FLTC admissions were 641. As testing has picked up after a brief lull, a fresh set of 24,708 samples were sent on Wednesday.
‘No slots’
All beds allocated for COVID treatment in government and private hospitals in Ernakulam, including ICU facilities, were full as on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Health Department.
“It is full, and there are no slots available,” said personnel attached to the control room opened by the district administration.
“We are shifting emergency patients as and when there is a vacancy following discharge or death of a patient,” they added. Those who need urgent medical attention are now being shifted to stabilisation centres, according to the health authorities.
Both government and private hospitals are running short of ICU beds and ventilators following the spike in positive cases in the district. Nearly 160 ICU beds had been set aside at private hospitals for COVID-19 patients. There were around 250 beds with oxygen supply at private hospitals.
As many as 2,160 beds at government and private hospitals, out of the total 8,963 beds, had been earmarked for COVID-19 treatment. There are 4,368 oxygen beds in addition to normal beds. Of them, 1,381 are being used for treatment of infected persons. Four-hundred-and-sixty eight ICU beds of the total 1,570 had been allocated for COVID-19 treatment. According to an official release, 265 ventilator beds are available in the district as on Wednesday.
Hotspots
With the pandemic graph steadily going up in the district, 74 of the total 82 panchayats that recorded a TPR of 25% or above in the district have become containment zones or hotspots.
Only Maneed, Kuttampuzha, Elanji, Chottanikkara, Edakkattuvayal, Vadavucode-Puthenkurishu, Arakkuzha and Kizhakkambalam panchayats are exempted from the strict regulations applicable in containment zones.
Review meeting
A review meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority decided to control movement within the containment zones. New FLTCs would be opened at Choornnikkara, Sreemoolanagaram, and Kuttampuzha.
Vehicles ferrying oxygen to hospitals would have GPS and a system to sound siren. Steps were being initiated to get oxygen cylinders from industries such as Cochin Shipyard and TELK.
Crowding at testing centres would be controlled. As part of increasing sample collection at public facilities, mobile teams would be deployed. Concurrently, more testing kits would be procured.
Nodal officers have been appointed for each panchayat to contain the spread of the virus further, and their training would be held on Thursday.
