Steep fall in Covid cases; hospitals, staff breathe easy in Anantapur
ANANTAPUR: The steep fall in Covid19 cases during the final phase of the second wave has given a much-needed relief to health-care personnel and several oxygen beds in the Covid hospitals are now lying vacant.
The super specialty hospital, the Government General Hospital, the RDT Hospital and the Hindupur district area hospital had been fully-designated Covid care facilities. These hospitals are getting fewer number of Covid patients in the past few days.
In addition, the temporary hospitals with additional beds – 500 beds at Arjas Steel Unit at Tadipathri and 300 beds with German Hangers at Super Specialty hospital premises have been getting no patient as the other hospitals were able to accommodate all the Covid patients, though they are in very less numbers.
Two months ago, when the second wave rose to a peak, some 3,000 cases were reported officially while many others did not go for testing. The GGH Anantapur witnessed long queues of Covid patients and many of them were spending their days and nights on the road and in scooter sheds because of lack of space inside the hospital. Several patients were provided with oxygen concentrators by making them lie on the ground and many patients died while being treated.
The death rate was high in June at all Covid care centres in the district.
However, there now is a major decrease in the daily Covid Positive cases across the district. Cases are reported in the range of 65 to 100 for the past ten days. This fall even as the medical teams were conducting tests and collecting samples from all PHCs and other hospitals.
The available additional equipment and temporary hospitals will remain in place to meet the likely third wave in the district, DM&HO Kameswara Prasad said.
The GGH, the Cancer Hospital and the RDT hospital are planning to resume their medical services to other patients following sharp fall in Covid19 cases.
Anilkumar Reddy, who was involved in the service of Covid patients for the past one year, said his team has distributed at least one lakh free meal packets during pandemic.