57% ICU beds are vacant in Kerala: Minister

Thiruvananthapuram: Health minister Veena George said that though Kerala has recorded over half-a-lakh cases in one day, there is no corresponding increase in hospital admissions. Of the 2,85,365 active cases only 3.8% people are admitted at hospital or other treatment centres.
Among the ones who are undergoing treatment in hospitals, only 0.7% require oxygen beds and 0.4% patients are in ICU.Hence there is no need to panic over the exponential increase in the number of cases, she said.
Of the total 3,107 ICU beds in state, 1,328 are occupied by Covid and non-Covid cases, which amounts to only 42.7%. Among these Covid patients are 385 and 57% of ICU beds are vacant now. The state has a total of 2,293 ventilators of which only 14% are occupied by Covid and non-Covid patients, George added.
The minister said that people aged between 20 and 30 years are affected the most during the third wave. Additionally, more healthcare workers are also getting infected and this is a matter of concern. On Tuesday, 506 healthcare workers tested positive.
In the wake of more healthcare workers being infected, state health department has decided to appoint 4,971 people on a temporary basis at various hospitals, first and second-line treatment centres. The people who had worked in Covid brigade earlier will be given preference during this appointment, said the health minister.
The department has also decided to set up Covid control rooms in all government medical college hospitals to coordinate Covid cases in respective districts. The minister said only category C patients will be treated at medical colleges and no hospitals shall refer patients in category A and B to medical colleges. tnn