Assam: Himanta Biswa visits Dibrugarh to take stock of COVID-19 situation

Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma visited Dibrugarh today to review the situation in the District in regard to COVID19.

He had a review meeting with the Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police, Principal of Assam Medical College, Joint Director of Health Services, ICMR officials and other officials involved with Covid19 containment measures in the district.

After the meeting the Minister addressed the media and said:

"We have decided that we may need 1000 beds in Dibrugarh district for Covid patients in coming days. We have given the responsibility to the Deputy Commissioner, Dibrugarh to arrange Covid Care Centres to increase the capacity to treat 1000 Covid patients.

We are going to increase swab testing in Dibrugarh town by establishing 11 testing centres in different wards of the town. People who wish to get them tested can come forward for their testing. First they will be tested by Rapid Antigen test and results will be given within half an hour for the positive cases. However the people who get negative results, will be tested again through RTPCR result of which may take some time.

We have also permitted asymptomatic positive cases to be kept in home isolation subject to fulfilling other requirements. We have advised the Deputy Commissioner, Dibrugarh to arrange Telemedicine system for those people.

Also read: Assam records spike of 1117 COVID-19 cases, 515 in Guwahati alone

As we know that cases in Assam are becoming symptomatic gradually from non-symptomatic. In Assam Medical College, many Covid patients are fighting with the pandemic. We have arranged all available treatment to the critical patients in AMC. We have started plasma Bank in Assam. We are happy to announce that two bags of Plasma have been brought today from Guwahati to treat a patient at Assam Medical College.

The situation is under control at present.

We have barred inter district movement in Assam from 22nd July except some exemptions. This will help to control the situation.

Regarding the availability of treatment facility in Assam Medical College the Minister said, "The doctors and health workers in Assam are providing the best treatment in comparison to other parts of the country. We should feel proud of them. In Dibrugarh also many critical patients are recovered and discharged from Assam Medical College. The mortality rate in Assam is .02 %. Whatever is done in Assam is best in the country as on date.

We have extended the insurance coverage of Rs 50 lacs to the contractual workers working in Covid Care Centres from now onwards."

The minister asked the people residing at densely populated places like Police barracks, Jail , Nursing home staff to come forward to get their test done. The minister also instructed the district administration to arrange for training of the health workers wherever required.

The minister also instructed the AMCH authority to prepare a 150 bedded separate building with surgery facility apart from the existing COVID treatment facility.

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