Hospitals in Kerala under Covid crisis, beds full, decision on imposing more restrictions today

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Covid review meet will be convened today under the aegis of the chief minister to assess the spread of Covid in the state. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will attend the meeting at 5 pm online from USA. Strict restriction’s may be imposed in more districts as the spread of the disease continues to be severe.

The districts have been divided into three categories from Thursday. The three categories are differentiated based on the number of patients admitted to the hospital. The new method was implemented by removing the TPR-based restrictions. Fifty people can attend A category weddings and public functions and 20 people can attend B category. Commercial establishments, malls and theatres can operate maintaining a social distance. However, there are closed strict restrictions in places under C-category including theatres.

It is likely to include more districts in B and C categories in today’s meet. There is a lockdown on next Sunday also. Decisions will be after taking into account the present situation of the disease. The current availability of hospital beds and oxygen will also be examined today. The government has asked private hospitals to reserve 50 per cent of beds for Covid patients.

Meantime, hospitals in many districts are facing a medical crisis. Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital is full with patients. A total of 25 ICU beds are full. The situation is similar in Alappuzha and Kozhikode. There are only a handful of beds left in the hospital. The spread of the disease among health workers is also a severe setback.