Bhubaneswar: A high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was conducted here Tuesday to contain the spread of the pandemic COVID-19. In the meeting the decision to implement plasma therapy mode of treatment for infected patients was taken. The plasma therapy method of treatment will be done at three dedicated hospitals and will start Wednesday. The three hospitals where plasma therapy will be used are KIIMS, SUM in this city, and Ashwini Hospital in Cuttack.
In the meeting, Patnaik focused on the facility and security being provided to the COVID-19 patients. He also urged the government officials to motivate and provide adequate support to the COVID-19 warriors. The chief minister also directed officials to provide Ganjam, Cuttack, Jajpur, Sundargarh and Khurda districts with more laboratory technicians and ambulances. Patnaik also said that cremation of COVID-19 patients who have died, should be done with dignity.
It was also revealed at the meeting that by next week COVID-19 tests will be ramped up to 9,000 tests a day from the current level of 7,000 per day in Odisha.
The Odisha government will also add another 200 ICU beds in dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in the cities of Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Ganjam.
According to health department, ‘Sero surveillance’ has ended in Puri district while community ‘Sero surveillance’ is over in the state capital. “High risk population ‘sero surveillance’ is continuing across the state”, said a health department official.
The health department also revealed that the average recovery percentage in the country is 63% but the recovery percentage in state is 64.88. On the other hand when the death percentage of COVID-19 patients India stands at 2.6 per cent, the figure in Odisha is 0.5 per cent. About 66 per cent COVID-19 positive cases belong to young generation, the official informed.
PNN