Kohima Covid hospitals on verge of saturation

Our Correspondent
Kohima, June 24 (EMN): With the spike in Covid-19 positive cases and the expansion of containment zones in the state capital, the beds for Covid-19 patients in the two designated Covid-19 hospitals at Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) and Chedema is on the verge of reaching their saturation point.

With the highest single-day spike of 62 Covid-19 cases reported on July 23 in Kohima, the overall capacity of 18 beds for patients at Chedema Covid-19 hospital is now fully occupied.

“We have only 18 beds and it’s full now,” informed a source from Chedema to Eastern Mirror.

Out of 67 beds, 47 are already being occupied by the patients at NHAK Covid-19 hospital, said sources from the NHAK.

It was also informed that there are no reports of ICU patients coming forward and getting admitted at NHAK due to fear of the virus, although 20 beds have been set up for ICU patients at the district civil hospital.

While only 20 beds are remaining, a frontline worker at NHAK, under the condition of anonymity, informed this newspaper that the government has already started accommodating Covid-19 patients at K Badze quarantine centres at Meriema in Kohima.

The source stated that out of 62 confirmed cases on Thursday, 17 patients were referred to K Badze quarantine centre, four at Chedema Covid-19 hospital while the rest of the patients were admitted at NHAK Covid-19 hospital.

The source added that 17 patients admitted at one of the blocks at K Badze quarantine centres were among the many workers who were engaged at Zhadima for the ongoing power line restoration work from Mariani to Kohima.

Meanwhile, the medical personnel are still stigmatised and are not even being allowed to pick up Covid-19 patients by their ambulances at some localities in Kohima, it was informed.

The Covid-19 status in Kohima stands at 182, which include the Covid-19 positive personnel at Jakhama army quarantine centre.

The district has about six defined locations demarcated as containment zones while the administration have already lifted the restriction at four sealed areas till date following massive contact tracing of detected cases.