From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, May 8: With the Supreme Court upholding Karnataka High Court’s order to the Centre to provide 12,000 metric tonnes of oxygen to the State for the treatment of Covid patients, the State Government has taken steps to establish additional 20,000 oxygenated beds.
Deputy Chief Minister (DCM) and Covid Task Force Chief Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, who addressed the media in Vidhana Soudha on Saturday, said 10,000 out of the proposed 20,000 oxygenated beds will be arranged on an emergent basis.
“This will help in lessening the burden and demand for oxygenated beds in the State to some extent,’’ he said.
Dr Narayan said the demand for oxygen in the State was around 100 metric tonnes a day prior to the Second Wave of Covid. The demand has shot up to 950 metric tonnes a day, which would have been sufficient to handle the present needs.
However, with the Covid infections surging on a daily basis and touching 50,000 a day, the demand for oxygen has increased and the need for oxygenated beds has increased very much. The intervention by the courts has come as a big relief to the State, he explained.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the State Government has decided to provide oxygenated beds in the Covid Care Centres.
As of now, a total of 70,000 beds have been reserved for Covid patients. This includes 35,000 beds in government hospitals and another 35,000 beds in the private hospitals. Of these, as many as 50,000 are oxygenated beds, he said.
Dr Narayan said the State Government has been taking steps to solve the problem of shortages of oxygenated beds. He said condition of about 30 to 40% of the Covid patients undergoing treatment in government and private hospitals was not so serious but they were occupying oxygenated beds. Therefore, the government has decided to shift such persons with not so serious conditions to step-down hospitals, he said.
No shortage of Remdesivir vials
The Deputy Chief Minister said there was no shortage of Remdesivir anti-viral drugs in the State. He said the allotment of Remdesivir anti-viral injection vials is 30,900 doses till Sunday, May 9. "We need to get 70,000 doses,’’ he said pointing out that the available drug has been distributed to all districts.
The State has been allotted 2.60 lakh doses for a week from Monday, May 10, and as per this allotment, the State will be getting 37,000 doses daily and it is sufficient, he said.
Dr Narayan said the State Government has asked all the Remdesivir anti-viral drug manufacturing companies to adhere to the quota of drug supplies to the State.
All Covid test results shall henceforth be provided within 24 hours of the tests. The defaulting laboratories of both private and government institutions will be liable to pay a fine of Rs 100 to 150 for each delayed test result, he warned.
He said the Covid infected people were delaying in getting themselves tested, which was the main reason for the high mortality rate. Timely tests will minimize the risk and people should cooperate in their own interests.
The RTPCR tests will also be expedited from now onwards. While there was just one government laboratory so far, the number has been increased to 91 and in addition the private sector has 150 laboratories. Thus, 10,500 RTPCR tests can be conducted in the government laboratories and another 70,000 in private sector laboratories.
As per these figures, barely 7% RAT tests were being conducted while RTPCR testing was 93%. The ICMR has now permitted to carry out any number of RAT tests and the State Government will be supplying RAT test kits to all primary health centres, he said.
Dr Narayan said the State Government is supplying sufficient quantities of medicines for Covid treatment and steps are also being taken to ensure that all other essential medical requirements. Necessary medicines and other medical supplies will be provided to all the Primary Health Centres in the next two days, he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister made it clear that the doctors and hospitals must compulsorily follow the Covid treatment protocols, which cannot be violated under any circumstances.