Even as Covid-19 cases are growing rapidly in Jharkhand with four-digit spikes since last the few days, hospitalisations haven't gone up, doctors at private and government hospitals in Ranchi have noted, calling the health implications of the current wave "non-serious" so far.

The state registered 2,681 new infections on Tuesday, taking the total count of active cases to 7,681. Ranchi recorded 1,196 new cases with the active caseload now standing at 3,370. However, medical experts in the capital involved in treating Covid-19 patients said hospitalisation has been minimal.

At state-run Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), head of critical care Dr Pradeep Bhattacharjee said, “In our Covid ward, there were about 30 patients till Monday. Of them, only three or four were on oxygen support. The others who are admitted are for comorbidities.”

Agreed a doctor at Ranchi sadar hospital. “Unlike the second wave, luckily, the severity of infections are missing. Most patients are either asymptomatic or display mild symptoms. Out of 3,370 active cases in Ranchi now, not even five per cent are currently in district hospitals,” said the doctor who took care of patients during the second wave and was himself infected twice.

Dr Jogesh Gambhir, head of Raj Hospital and president of the Jharkhand unit of the Association of Healthcare Providers in India (APHI), said they conducted a sample study on about 200 Covid patients who got infected in the last fortnight. “Based on our findings, we believe there is no need for panic. More than 90 per cent of patients are getting cured without the need for hospitalisation,” he said.

Experts, however, maintained that the coming days would show how the virus behaves.