Covid woes aplenty in Coimbatore district; Administration fighting various odds to help people survive

Coimbatore: Coimbatore district now has a new name—“The Super Spreader,” for recording the highest surge in daily caseloads and being the second highest in Tamil Nadu’s daily Covid case counts. The daily surge, however, seems to be looking like a rough road ahead for the administration to manoeuvre.

Panic buying of Remdesivir vials, delayed admission for Covid patients, lack of beds and shortage in vaccines are some of the concerns that are plaguing the district in the wake of the second wave of Covid-19. Patients are reportedly gasping for oxygen in private hospitals as well as Government treatment facilities in Coimbatore.

In one such case, eight people were brought to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital in an ambulance, a few days ago. They were severely infected with the Covid-19 virus but were allegedly left unattended outside CMCH for nearly three hours. The delay in admission irked the caregivers of the patients at the hospital who had to put up a brave front to their infected loved ones while reassuring them that they would get admission into the hospital soon. 

Calling out for help as medical practitioners clad in green gowns in PPE suits passed by, went unheeded for more than three hours. Those responsible for admitting patients at the hospital said that they had reached the maximum occupancy in terms of availability of beds, and that only patients with severe symptoms could be admitted.

Patients at CMCH said that they had to resort to this hospital since there were no admissions being done at other treatment facilities including ESI Hospital. While only patients with severe symptoms of Covid were being admitted, caregivers on the other hand have been rushing to buy Remdesivir, an injectable anti-viral drug for their loved ones who have been infected with the virus. Though the drug is not a life saver, it is being prescribed by doctors for emergency purposes.This, however, caused panic buying as people thronged facilities that sold Remedesivir, flouting social distancing norms in an effort to save loved ones.

While other districts are reportedly selling Remedesivir in the black market for whopping prices, Coimbatore is not. The Dean of CMCH Dr.Nirmala expressed her concern saying, "Large crowds are gathering to buy the Remedesivir vials and are queuing up lowering their masks and not adhering to social distancing norms."

Days later when more than 500 vials of Remdesivir reached the Coimbatore Medical College, the management had put up a board saying the tokens for the drug had already been issued on the first day and hence unavailable till May17. Not knowing this, as many as several hundred people queued to buy the tokens for their loved ones but were sent back empty-handed. Medical professionals attribute the overcrowding to be one of the reasons for Covid-19 spreading quickly among the masses. The scene outside Coimbatore Medical College where people had arrived from neighbouring districts to buy the drug and were seen waiting in queues at the platform without even eating was heart wrenching.

Lack of beds

With the new mutant variant B.1.617 that has emerged in India during the second wave which was spreading faster than anticipated, people who had contracted the virus were struggling to combat it due to lack of beds at treatment facilities. Most of the private hospitals in the district, which have now been designated to provide services to the people under the Chief Minister health care scheme, have already run out of availability of beds.

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M K Stalin has instructed private hospitals in the State to provide services to Covid patients under the Chief Minister's Healthcare Scheme. But with less beds at some hospitals to no beds at all, patients are forced to run to and fro between hospitals begging for admission. The recent data released by the local administration department said that the number of beds in CHC/CDC earmarked with oxygen support was 2849, while non-oxygen beds accounted for 2583 and 569 were ICU beds.

However, with the surge in daily cases and people requiring oxygen, vacancy details of the availability of such beds in the preliminary data said that — oxygen beds available- 55, while non-oxygen beds and beds at ICU were  643 and 19. The total vacant beds accounted in the recent data was 717. With the district registering more than 2,000 cases daily, the requirement of oxygen has climbed.

Shortage of vaccines

At a time when the mutant variant of B.1.617 that emerged in India continues to spread faster, people awaiting their turn to vaccinate in the hope that it will stop the s[read of the Covid virus present in the body, have been sorely disappointed since there are not enough vaccines. For some who had taken the vaccine shots, it was found that the shots had halted the spread of the Covid-19 virus present in one’s body which kills the antibodies, while others though having registered for the vaccine complain that there are no vaccines available as of now.

It has been reported widely that people awaiting their second dose are also on the verge of giving up since there is no second dose available at the vaccine centres, especially for Covaxin. Some of the senior citizens were also told by the staff at the vaccination centre to wait until they get a fresh stock of vaccines when they enquired about the mismanagement of dates mentioned in the vaccination certificate.

“I am 60+ general public category for COVID vaccination. I had taken my first dose when the 60+ category was thrown open on 1st March, 2021. I got vaccinated at SLM Home UPHC CVC, Coimbatore on 1st March itself. However, I got a certificate later that I had been vaccinated on 4th March at that center. It was explained to me that there was a delay in uploading the details. Anyway, since I got vaccinated and got the certificate as well, I just took it in my stride," said Moorthi.

"I tried scheduling my next dose of vaccination and my nearest center - KALVEERAMPALAYAM UPHC CVC - came up on the screen to select an appointment. But, the appointment got canceled by the system and I was assigned 27th April as the new date. I could not go on the 27th for vaccination to that UPHC. However, later in the day, I got an SMS saying that I have been successfully vaccinated for the 1st dose at KALVEERAMPALAYAM UPHC CVC on the 27th of April!! I even got a certificate from the CoWIN portal for the supposed vaccination on the 27th of April. 

When I went to the UPHC and enquired, I was met with a very casual attitude by officials there who questioned what was my problem. "If you did not get vaccinated on the 27th of April, just ignore or tear off the certificate and be done with it," they said. Even though I explained to them it was a data entry mistake from their side, they were not willing to listen," lamented Moorthi.

Due to this mistake, Moorthi says that he cannot schedule or take the 2nd dose of the vaccination till 25th May, 2021. “I am putting myself at risk by not taking the second dose within the prescribed time of 4 to 8 weeks from the first dose,” he added.

But it is not the same case with all. "At the Government Hospital in Mettupalayam, we wanted to get vaccinated but were informed through the board put up at the hospital campus by the management a few days ago that there were no vaccines available," said the general public.

A similar incident was reported at the Coimbatore Government College vaccination centre which informed that there were no vaccines available. The public were told to come on other days by staff at the vaccination centre who announced through the mic that they had run out of vaccines.

Soon after the assumption of a new government that floated global tenders, knowing the mismanagement of centres vaccination drive, to procure vaccines, people heave a sigh of relief now expecting to get vaccinated.

Pall of gloom continues to hover

Recent allegations by patients in Coimbatore Medical College Hospital continues unabated over inadequate number of doctors at wards where almost all 1000 beds with oxygen support are in use. Recently, the death rate in Coimbatore as declared by the local administration raised doubts since all 10 crematoriums in Coimbatore witnessed a spike in deaths. The local administration is being asked to be transparent now even as public lament that it feels like they are fighting a lone battle against Covid-19.