Srinagar, Apr 27 (IANS): Delay in reporting to hospitals is the main reason for the increase in number of deaths due to Covid, the Doctors Association of Kashmir (DAK) said on Tuesday.

Noting Covid patients arrive at hospitals only when their condition deteriorates, DAK President Nisar-ul-Hasan said: "Medical intervention is key to reduce Covid related deaths. Patients come to hospital only when their lungs are largely affected and this decreases their survival chances."

"We receive patients when their infection is already at an advanced stage. When they report at hospital, their oxygen saturation is often as low as 50 to 60 per cent."

The doctor said many patients buy oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators and use them at home to ease their condition. Such patients only come to hospital when they are already critical, he said.

"One big problem with Covid is hypoxia, a condition in which the patient has extremely low blood oxygen level and yet they do not show signs of difficulty in breathing.

"Despite Covid pneumonia during which the patients have remarkably low oxygen saturation, they are alert, they talk and even walk around normally.

"By the time they feel breathing difficulty, they are already critically sick and need to be put on ventilator," he said.

Hasan said that shifting critically-ill patients, who are on life support, from various hospitals to designated Covid hospitals also contributes in delay and increased mortality.

"Most of these patients have underlying medical conditions... those get overlooked at the Covid hospital for want of specialists and equipment.

"We need to revisit the existing protocol for shifting critically-ill Covid patients to different hospitals," he added.