Remdesivir demand spikes as hospitals battle huge Covid cases

Bengaluru: While the hospitals in Bengaluru have admitted to the shortfall in the number of beds, the condition of regions outside the State capital also presents a grim situation. In addition to it the hospitals are finding it difficult to procure life-saving Remdesivir injections.

Dr Rajesh, Resident Medical Doctor, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, said that the hospitals have enough stocks for the day but the demand is huge.

Comparing the situation with Bengaluru, "As of now we have not reached the situation of Bengaluru. We have reserved beds for Covid patients but definitely we will reach the situation in a week. Over 90 percent of the daily Covid cases are in Bengaluru which is why the situation is bad. If the cases keep on increasing in this manner then we will definitely face a shortage of beds."

He added that compared to the first wave the number of deaths due to Covid is not huge.

"Last year, initially we had 3-4 deaths per day but now we have the same number of deaths per week. As of now I cannot say convincingly that the situation is grim like the first wave. We need to wait and watch," he told The Hans India.

Dakshina Kannada has 808 Covid positive cases. The District Health Officer Dr Ramachandra appraised the newspaper that the demand for Remdesivir has not shot up in their regions but they have enough stocks to avoid eventuality.

"As far as the beds are concerned we are not facing shortage. We review the situation daily," he stated.

Doctors at Ace Suhas Multi Speciality Hospital are recommending Remdesivir for COVID patients but point out to the shoot up in the demand of the antiviral drug.

Dr. Jagadish Hiremath, Director at Ace Suhas Multispeciality Hospital said "We have observed huge demand for remdesivir. The demand is 300% higher than what it was during the first wave. Due to high demand it has been out of stock everywhere. It's A hard time for us to procure Remdesivir whenever we require them.

"Earlier during the first wave Remdesivir was given to severe cases only. Now we have been using remdesivir while treating almost every COVID patient who gets hospitalised. This is one of the reasons why the demand has gone up," he added.

Hiremath stated that there is a Remdesivir scam in the market.

Dr. Suriraju, Chief Urologist at Regal Hospital added that with a huge rise in the number Covid cases there is a surge in the demand for Remdesivir.

"It's been hard for us to procure as it's not easily available. The demand for Remdesivir is the same as it was in the first wave. But it may increase," he added.

The situation in Bidar is grim since the beds are getting occupied sooner than usual.

Dr V G Reddy, District Health Officer of Bidar said, "As many as 175 beds have patients in Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences. Almost half of the designated beds in six private hospitals (with 20 to 30 beds each) have also been filled," he said.

Four taluk hospitals have been converted to dedicated Covid Care Centres with 50 beds each reserved for the Covid patients.

"120 beds across 15 community health centres are also ready to admit patients if the surge continues," he added.

The district administration has intensified screening at state-borders as a primary measure. "We are testing each passenger who is entering Karnataka from Maharashtra at seven checkposts in Bidar. Samples are sent to testing along with identity information that is collected which helps us identify clusters and to trace contacts easier," Reddy added. Moreover, Bidar also faces a challenge in terms of vaccination as people are not coming forward. Though the region is not facing shortage of vaccines the reluctant citizens are a big impediment in the vaccination drive.