Staff Correspondent

The number of patients with severe Covid-19 infections is apparently on the rise, as record shows that the occupancy rate of ICU beds at the dedicated hospitals has gone up by 14 percentage points from 45 percent in the last two months.

Five months ago, on July 12, the ICU bed occupancy rate was 56.14 percent, which dropped to 45 percent on October 12.

Out of 374 ICU beds, only 210 were occupied on July 12. By October 12, the number of ICU beds occupied increased to 564. The record shows that 254 ICU beds were occupied by Covid-19 patients on the day.

As the winter begins, the number of novel coronavirus cases has shot up and so has the demand for ICU beds.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services, 335 out of 567 ICU beds at the Covid-19 dedicated hospitals were occupied by patients as of yesterday.

Meanwhile, 19 more people died from coronavirus infections in 24 hours ending 8:00am yesterday, according to a DGHS press release.

The total number of deaths has now reached 6,986, and the death rate stands at 1.43 percent.