Rising pollution, surge in COVID-19 cases: Hospital beds begin to fill up fast
New Delhi: The twin factors of rising air pollution and a surge in COVID-19 cases have increased the burden on Delhi's hospitals with the number of vacant beds shrinking fast and outpatient departments (OPDs) witnessing a spike in footfall, doctors said on Saturday.
Besides, the ICU beds with ventilators at most top private hospitals and major Centre-run facilities are also getting filled up with spiraling cases in the last few days.
Delhi recorded over 7,000 COVID-19 cases for the first time, taking the tally to over 4.23 lakh on Friday, while the toll rose to 6,833 with 64 more deaths, authorities said.
The 7,178 fresh cases came out of the 58,860 tests conducted on Thursday, while the positivity rate stood at 12.19 percent amid the festive season and rising air pollution in the city, according to the bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.
The previous highest single-day spike was 6,842 cases recorded on Wednesday.
The number of daily cases had crossed the 6,000-mark for three consecutive days from November 3-5.
Sixty-four new fatalities were recorded, pushing the death toll in the national capital to 6,833. On Thursday, 66 fatalities were reported from COVID-19.
The air quality in the national capital has also deteriorated and greater movement of people in public places, especially crowded areas such as markets and shops, and laxity in adhering to safety norms, have led to a surge in cases, experts have said.
Rana A K Singh, Medical Superintendent at RML Hospital said, there is a rise in the number of patients visiting the hospital with complaints of respiratory problems probably due to a spike in pollution levels and because of change in weather.
"On top of that, the number of COVID-19 patients coming to the hospital has also increased," he said.
"Our COVID and non-COVID ICU facilities are at full capacity and to create ICU beds at the stroke of the hammer is not possible because it requires equipment and manpower," Singh said.
A large number of coronavirus positive patients who come with complaints of breathlessness become better with high-flow oxygen therapy for which one requires special equipment (high-flow nasal), which is in adequate numbers, he said.
There is an increase in the number of patients visiting the OPD seeking treatment for respiratory-related ailments, said another doctor at a leading hospital, who did not wish to be identified.
Those already suffering from respiratory diseases like asthma, COPD or fibrosis, etc are facing exacerbation of the symptoms, he added.
"Also, healthy people are coming with complaints like dry cough, throat irritation, nasal congestion, and feeling of malaise which may be directly related to a sudden spurt in pollution levels," the doctor said.
"There is an emergent need to curb the pollution levels as the likely morbidity in this season where COVID-19 also is affecting lungs adversely will increase," the doctor added.
The online coronavirus dashboard of the Delhi government showed that at 6.30 pm, out of 1,253 ICU beds with a ventilator facility, only 250 were vacant.
At Max hospitals in Saket, four out of 51 ICU beds with ventilators were vacant, while at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, the number was 16 out of 45.
At St Stephen's Hospital, the vacancy showed nil, while at RML Hospital, 6 out of 28 beds were vacant, and at Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital, 7 out of 17 beds were available.
However, at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH), a dedicated COVID-19 facility under Delhi government, 116 of the 200 such beds were vacant.
Air pollution may increase the transmissibility of the coronavirus making people more vulnerable to the disease and aggravating the COVID-19 situation, experts had recently said, while warning that those who have had the infection in the past may also have to face new challenges.
Vivek Nangia, principal director and head of pulmonology at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket asked people to exercise extreme caution this Diwali as COVID-19 and pollution can compound the problems.
"Due to low temperatures and increased air pollution particulate matters remain suspended in the air for a longer period and increase the transmissibility of the novel coronavirus, making people more vulnerable to the disease," he said.
The second mechanism linking increased COVID-19 cases and mortality due to air pollution is that exposure to polluted air is known to cause inflammation and cellular damage, making it easy for the virus or any other pathogenic microbe to invade our lungs, he said.
This process of inflammation may suppress the early immune response to infection, making an individual more susceptible, he added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
