No Scarcity of COVID Beds, 5,000 Still Available in Various Assam Hospitals: Health Department

STAFF REPORTER GUWAHATI:

COVID Beds Availability in Assam: The State Health Department said that there no scarcity of COVID-19 beds as on now in the State.

"Till May 11, 2021, all the government hospitals in the State together had 10,844 isolation beds, 1,751 oxygen-supported beds, 686 ICU (Intensive Care Unit) beds for COVID-19 patients against 5,233 active COVID-19 patients in hospitals and 421 patients in oxygen-supported beds," a source in the department said.

The source further said, "Another 3,000 COVID-19 beds have been added to the aforesaid number of beds and the addition of 3,000 more such beds is in the process. Five hundred more oxygen-supported beds have been added to the existing ones, and the addition of 1,000 other beds is in the process. Likewise, 200 more ICU beds have been added to the existing ones, and the process for the addition of 300 more ICU beds is underway. There can't be any scarcity of hospital beds shortly in the State.

"However, we need to bring down the number of COVID-19 cases, or else oxygen-supported and ICU beds will be insufficient in the State shortly. The need of the hour is early detection and treatment of the patients. Avoiding COVID infection is the best way to be safe as we don't know the sequelae as many post-COVID effects are still unknown.

"Other dreaded findings are that 23 per cent of the deaths in the State are in the age group of 40-50 years, 26 per cent in the age group 50-60 years, 21 per cent in the age group of 60-70 years, 8 per cent in the age group of 30-40 years and 2 per cent in the age group of 20-30 years. The death of 10 per cent in the age group of 20-40 years is quite dangerous when compared with the first wave of the virus in 2020."

According to the Health Department's records, six districts in the State have over 10 per COVID-19 positivity rates – 15.5 per cent in Kamrup (M), 14.1 per cent in Kamrup, 12.6 per cent in Darrang, 10.9 per cent in Tinsukia, 10.7 per cent Dibrugarh and 10 per cent in Udalguri. On the lower side, Majuli has the lowest positivity rate of 1.5 per cent, followed by 2.4 per cent in West Karbi Anglong, 3.3 per cent in Charaideo and 3.7 per cent in Baksa.

Also Read: 16% of COVID-19 patients die within 12 hours of hospitalization in Assam: NHM

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