Hospitals Reserve Covid Beds For Children Amid Omicron-Driven Surge

Data showed the country has over 24,000 ICU beds for children, compared with a recommendation of fewer than 10,000 beds from a central taskforce.

States have reserved more than double the COVID-19 hospital beds for children than recommended by experts out of fear of being under-prepared, government data shows, although doctors say not many youngsters have needed critical care yet.

The Health Ministry also said on Monday that only 5-10 per cent of all those people infected in the country have sought hospitalisation, compared with 20-23 per cent during the last major wave. Authorities say most people have shown no or mild symptoms and have recovered quickly at home.

The country reported 179,723 new cases on Monday, taking the total to 35.7 million, the highest in the world after the US. Deaths rose by 146 to 483,936, only behind the tally of the US and Brazil.

Data showed that India has more than 24,000 paediatric ICU beds, compared with a recommendation of fewer than 10,000 beds from a central taskforce. Similarly, there are 64,796 non-ICU beds for children, much higher than the suggested 27,682.