State struggles to cope with soaring COVID-19 cases
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 21 2020: With limited numbers of beds and COVID-19 treatment facilities, the State is literally struggling as the number of positive cases for the dreaded disease continues to rise.

A late report informed that two doctors and a nurse working at Bishnupur district hospital have been tested positive for COVID-19 .

According to an official of the Health Department, there is a big issue coming up regarding accommodation capacity for COVID-19 patients at RIMS and JNIMS owing to rapid and continuous spike in the number of positive cases in the State.

The number of positive cases for the contagion is 900 till the filling of this report.

State struggles to cope with soaring COVID-19 cases

The Government is however minutely monitoring and making all efforts to deal with the situation, the official said while adding that the COVID-19 State Consultative Committee formed to combat the dreaded disease has deliberated on the issue and possible means to increase the accommodation and treatment capacity.

It may be mentioned that the Consultative Committee has already proposed to convert the Trade Centre located at Lamboi Khongnangkhong and Standard College, Kongba into COVID care centres.

The State will have to plan and increase the number of COVID Care centres and number of beds in line with suggestions from experts, said the official and continued many experts have opined that the number of the positive cases is likely to decline only after August.

State's COVID-19 patients are currently treated at RIMS, JNIMS, UNACCO COVID Care Centre and District Hospital, Bishnupur.

Manipur will witness COVID-19 peak in the month of July as the results for all pending tests will be out by then and another set of State natives stranded in various parts of the country will be brought back, he said.

Meanwhile, sources informed that 39 out of 1030 samples tested at JNIMS today were found positive for COVID-19 while 18 out of 1221 samples tested positive at RIMS.

According to a press release issued by the COVID-19 Common Control Room, the numbers of positive cases and active cases are 897 and 591 respectively as of Sunday.

In all 18 persons, 17 from JNIMS and 1 from RIMS, were discharged after they were found COVID-19 free on RT PCR Test taking the number of recovered cases to 250, it said.

The statement further informed that if an exposed person develops symptoms before testing, the person should be referred to a designated Health Care Facility immediately for isolation/observation and sample collection.

Such prompt action will reduce secondary attacks, it continued will adding that a total of 145 beds are available for the purpose at Bishnupur District Hospital (32), Chandel District Hospital (10), Churachandpur District Hospital (22), Jiribam SDH (10), Kakching CHC (8), Kamjong CHC (2), Noney PHC (2), Parbung CHC (2), Thoubal District Hospital (6), Tamenglong District Hospital (10), Senapati District Hospital (15), Ukhrul District Hospital (16), Mao SDH (6) and Moreh SDH (4) .