Expressing concern over the increase in number of COVID-19 cases as well as deaths during the last few days in the state, Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday directed that more stress must be laid on contact tracing of the infected persons so that immediate preventive steps are taken.
“The doctors must ensure proper treatment to the patients especially the patients with co-morbid illness. It has been felt the change in climate is also resulting in fast spread of the virus,” said the Chief Minister while presiding over the video conference with the Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police, Chief Medical Officers, Principals and Medical Superintendents of various Government Medical Colleges of the state from Shimla.
He said that the senior doctors must ensure at least three rounds of the wards of COVID patients to instil confidence in the patients.
The Chief Minister said that prefabricated COVID Care Centres with adequate bed facilities were being set up at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College Shimla, Dr. Rajender Prasad Govt. Medical College Tanda, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College Ner Chowk and at Nalagarh to meet out the demand in case of increase in number of COVID patients.
Thakur said that the bed capacity of all the COVID hospitals and COVID Care Centres must be increased to meet out the requirement in case of a sudden spike in the number of COVID patients. More ambulances with oxygen cylinders must also be deployed to facilitate the prompt transportation of critical patients from home isolation to COVID care centres or COVID hospitals.
Proper protocol must be adopted for treatment of the asymptotic patients under home isolation. Adequate arrangement of pulse oxymeter must be made for these patients so that they could regularly monitor oxygen level in blood, he said.
The Chief Minister said that it has also been felt that casual approach of people and laxity in adhering to the laid down SOPs was a major reason for the spread of the virus.
He said that social gatherings were attributing maximum to the increase in COVID cases in the state.
Thakur further said that gathering of large numbers of people in social functions in a closed environment like marriage halls and community centres is resulting in an increase in the number of Coronavirus cases.
Greater focus must be laid on IEC to sensitize the people regarding greater chances of getting infected in social gatherings such as marriages and dhams. An organised IEC campaign must be launched throughout the state to sensitize the people regarding the virus, he added.The Health Minister Dr Rajiv Saizal said that community participation must be ensured to check the spread of this virus.IEC is vital for sensitizing the people to cooperate with the government to check this virus. NGOs must also be involved to sensitize the people to adopt proper hygiene such as use of face masks, wash hands with soap and avoid social gatherings, he added.