The Jharkhand government has said there will be no shortage of hospital beds for Covid-19 patients despite a rise in coronavirus cases in the state.
“There will no shortage of beds for corona patients,” Nidin Madan Kulkarni, principal secretary in the health department, told The Telegraph on Wednesday.
Though only 39 new cases were detected on July 6, the number shot up to 141 the next day, which was a week ago. As many as 247 cases were detected on Tuesday, the highest single-day spike. According to the report issued by the state government at 9.30pm on Tuesday, the total number of coronavirus patients in the state has reached 4,225, while 2,428 have recovered and 36 have died.
Though the mortality rate stood at 0.85 per cent, which was much less than the national figure of 2.62 per cent, the seven-day growth rate, which is calculated after comparing it with the figures of the same day a week ago, increased to 4.74 per cent, which is higher than the national figure of 3.36 per cent.
Among the 247 positive cases detected on Tuesday, Ranchi district alone recorded 59, the maximum. Ranchi had 224 active cases so far. With seven patients discharged on Tuesday, the state capital now has 276 active cases.
The urban health centre at Doranda has been converted into a new designated Covid-19 hospital, the third such facility in Ranchi after the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences and the CCL Hospital, to accommodate the increasing number of patients.
“It was planned earlier but the preparation for opening the new facility took more time than expected,” Kulkarni said. “The rush for beds in Ranchi will be eased in two days.”
“Covid-19 patients are getting cured and beds are being vacated by them,” said Ranchi civil surgeon Dr V.B. Prasad.
He said the new facility at Doranda would accommodate 60 patients and also ensure hospitalisation of coronavirus patients who need it.