Shortage of hospital beds, oxygen supplies and drugs like Remdesivir injections in major cities
The COVID-19 situation in Gujarat is getting darker by the day. Numbers surged massively on Wednesday with 7,410 cases and 73 deaths as the number of cured patients remained stagnant at 2,642.
The number of active cases stands at 39,250. The increase in cases in major cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara has led to a shortage of hospital beds, an oxygen supply and a shortage of medicines like Remdesivir injections.
“The second wave is fierce and spares no one. There are too many deaths in the state, ”said a renowned doctor from Ahmedabad. He said there appeared to be no signs of the infection peaking in the coming weeks, meaning the situation will only get worse with more cases and deaths.
There appears to be a complete mismatch between the government data on deaths and the numbers reported in the fields. For example, on Monday, according to government figures, the state claimed 55 lives while figures from crematoria and cemeteries suggest around 480 bodies have been disposed of in accordance with pandemic protocols.
In cities like Surat, Ahmedabad, and Rajkot, crematoria work around the clock to avoid long lines.
According to doctors, government death data is only for people who have died of COVID-19 without any comorbid conditions. “Those who have COVID-19 but also suffer from any comorbid conditions like diabetes or hypertension, then the cause of death is attributed to the comorbidity,” a doctor said. The Hindu.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, however, argued that the state was following ICMR guidelines for counting deaths.
The Ahmedabad Medical Association, in a letter to the chief minister, urged him to urgently address the oxygen shortage in all COVID-19 hospitals in the city as the situation goes from bad to worse. worse.
“If such conditions persist, the death toll will increase and violence against doctors will increase and doctors will be forced to close their hospitals due to lack of oxygen supply, which will worsen the current scenario,” the letter to the chief said. . Minister.
In fact, the shortage of oxygen and injection supply of Remdesivir is rampant throughout the state. In other cities, too, hospitals are struggling to get enough oxygen as the number of patients who need it grows.
However, the government has reserved 70% of the oxygen produced in the state for the health sector while only 30% will be used for the industrial sector. The medical fraternity believes, however, that the state must divert 100% of the supply to hospitals for at least two months to meet growing demand.