Odisha govt makes strategy anticipating 65,000 Covid cases by August end

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha projects the Covid-19 virus case load in the state would increase to around 65,000 by end of this month and is getting its strategy ready, accordingly. The total number of positive cases rose to 36,297 on Monday after 1384 more tested positive.
Additional chief secretary (ACS health) Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra said except for Ganjam, Khurda, Cuttak and Gajapati the situation in other districts may stabilise with no huge increase in the number of positive cases. “These four districts, however, may add significant number of the anticipated new cases. We are revamping the infrastructure in these districts accordingly,” he said.
The government projection comes on the basis of continual analysis of the anticipated increase and projected infrastructure requirement by a 10-member team of experts. The team, led by additional director of medical education and training U K Satapathy, has an IAS officer (Aravind Agarwal) specially deputed for the purpose besides experts from WHO and UNFPA. “The team works on various scientific models by studying the trends. Since the situation is dynamic, the projection gets revised every five days,” Mohapatra told TOI.
Mohapatra said keeping in mind the projected need the government is planning to add 200 ICU beds in Bhubaneswar. Currently, the state has around 500 ICU beds. “The ICU beds in Bhubaneswar will also take care of critical care needs of patients from other parts of the state who may be referred here,” he said.
The government would now majorly promote home-based care for mild and no symptom patients, which has already been allowed. “Home based care model worked well in Delhi. We feel this would work well in Odisha as well,” the ACS (health) said.
Besides, additional requirements of beds if any in a district may be taken care of by the neighbouring district. For example, patients from Ganjam can be admitted in Covid care centres in Nayagarh where the case load is less, he said.
Sources said the government assessment is that there may not be deficit of hospital beds as maximum around 25000 patients would require hospitalization at any given point of time. The government has more than 5000 hospital beds 65,000 beds in Covid care centres.
Meanwhile, 10 more patients succumbed to the viral infections. Of the 10 men who died, three were from Ganjam, aged 48, 54, 34, raising the district death figures to 106, more than 50% of state’s total deaths. Similarly, the worst-hit district continues to add the highest number of positive cases every day, it added 331 in past 24 hours. Among others three were from Rayagada, aged 61, 64 and 70, two from Gajapati, aged 34 and 48, and one each from Khurda (63) and Kalahandi (66).
The health department said two other Covid patients died due to their comorbidities, which increased number of deaths of Covid patients due to non-Covid reasons to 41. While a woman (48) from Ganjam expired due to cerebro vascular accident, an 85 year old man of Malkangiri district dietrict died due to end stage chronic kidney disease with uremic encephalopathy.
Other districts which reported very high number of positive cases include Khurda (211), Koraput (97), Sambalpur (93), Cuttack (89), Balasore (79), Gajapati (61) and Balangir (51). After its highest one-day tally, Sambalpur district announced to go for week-end shutdown this month. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack reported 89 and 87 new positive cases respectively. Fifty-seven of the new positives in Cuttack were found in Behera Sahi slum, which has been declared a containment zone since July 29.
In the highest one-day recovery so far, record 1119 patients got cured on Monday, raising total number discharged patients to 23,074.
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