Endemic is the new normal as daily Covid cases top 10,000 in India

Daily Covid cases in India crossed the 10,000 mark on Thursday, the highest since August 2022. But when Business Standard reporters visited hospitals across some of the major cities, there was no sign of any kind of emergency—a scene that was so different from the previous instances of such a surge in cases. In many hospitals, empty bottles of sanitisers and handwash dispensers were a common sight. Face masks were rare too, whether it was hospital staff, patients or their attendants. Also, there were hardly any Covid wards this time around.      

There were some private hospitals though with detailed Covid protocols. On the whole, the fear of the virus seemed to have subsided with a large percentage of the population vaccinated and the predominance of a milder strain. In fact, experts called the current stage the new normal in the Covid journey. “Pandemic was abnormal; endemic is the new normal. The endemic stage can last forever,” said Jacob John, a renowned virologist. 

S Narayani, business head, Fortis, Maharashtra, said in Mumbai the hospital was now running a 20-bed ward for Covid patients and a two-three bed Covid ICU. “We have separate entry-exits in place; we know how to create negative pressure zones. We can convert almost 50 per cent of our capacity of 400 beds here at Mulund for Covid, if the need arises,” she said. “There is no sense of panic now, because SoPs (standard operating procedures) are in place, and the staff is trained, the clinical protocols are in place… We have learnt from the previous three waves, and can easily handle a surge,” she said.  

AIIMS in Delhi had no Covid ward and the only five beds reserved for Covid-positive patients were all occupied. Some Covid-positive patients were encouraged to look for beds at the nearby Safdarjung Hospital.

AIIMS issued an advisory after four of its doctors and a few staffers tested Covid positive recently but there was lack of clear procedural directions or guidelines about addressing Covid-19-related inquiries or patients looking to get admitted for Covid-19 treatment.

A senior doctor at a leading private hospital in Delhi said though Covid protocols, such as wearing masks, were already in place, few hospital staffers were adhering to it. 

Max Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi was among those maintaining an isolated Covid-19 ward, which had five patients. While OPD staff seemed at ease with the present Covid situation, most doctors and medical practitioners working in ICUs and testing labs could be seen wearing the full PPE kit, or face covering and gloves.  

Fortis Hospital in Mumbai’s Mulund area had its staff including security personnel in masks. Roughly six of 10 could be seen in masks in the outpatient department filled with children and elderly. Doctors advised anyone entering their chambers to wear facemask. 

According to Dr Anita Mathew, infectious disease specialist, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, “I keep some masks handy in my cabin, and insist that everyone has to wear a mask when coming to meet me.” 

All along a shift in behaviour could not be missed.

“During the peak of the waves, we had to keep some patients for up to 4-5 days until they got a bed in a dedicated Covid facility,” said Dr Devyani Deore, resident medical officer of Mumbai’s Kamgar hospital. Now, there’s no rush for hospitalisation. “We test every surgery patient for Covid, and if positive, we refer them to a designated hospital. It is now like a routine procedure as we do for HIV or HCV,” she added. 

But some doctors were worried about the unpredictable nature of the virus. “In the past, we faltered in forecasting the course of the pandemic. Now it’s time to take all precautions — whether it is respiratory or hand hygiene,” said Dr Ravi Malik, paediatrician and director of Radix Healthcare, Delhi. 

At the government-run Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital in New Delhi, a Covid ICU was functional even as  admissions were low.

“Current hospital admissions, too, can be traced back to existing, underlying conditions in the patients and not the seriousness of Covid symptoms,” said Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant, internal medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi. 

At Chettinad Super Speciality Hospital in Chennai,  many patients and hospital staff were without masks and social distancing was a thing of the past. It was the same at Chennais  Kelambakkam health centre.

Irrespective of their adherence with Covid protocol, most hospitals appeared confident of handling any emergency that may arise. The past waves served as a lesson for them all. 

 The tally of 10,158 fresh Covid cases reported on Thursday was the first time since August last year when the figure breached the 10,000-mark. It’s the highest since August 26, 2022, when the number stood at 10,256.

There was also an increase in the number of daily tests. The seven-day moving average was 1,67,411 on April 12, according to the data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and government figures. The number of tests conducted was up over 40 per cent from the beginning of April.

Deaths too have risen: Over 100 people have lost their lives to Covid-19 over the past week (April 13). Weekly numbers are calculated using the World Health Organisation data and government numbers. There may be some difference in the data between the two, but numbers are broadly indicative of the trend. 

The seven-day rolling sum of deaths was 104 on Wednesday, and 106 on Thursday. The equivalent data for March 1 was 10 deaths. 

(Reporting by Ruchika Chitravanshi, Akshara Srivastava, Debargyha Sanyal, Sohini Das, Anoushka Sawhney & Shine Jacob from New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai)