Climbing number of deaths : Grim reality!
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 10, 2021 -

The fatality rate is reflective of the grim reality, with the term fatal written all over it.

If 12 deaths on a single day was the highest recorded in Manipur till May 8 surpassing the previous record of 10 deaths in a single day, that unenviable record is now 15, the number of deaths recorded on a single day, as reports coming in on May 9, 2021 say.

Scary it is and while as a newspaper it is the duty of everyone here at The Sangai Express to report on the number of infected and how many have died due to the virus, it is sad that the deaths are now being reduced to statistics.

And for a small State like Manipur with just about 30 lakh population reporting the deaths in double digit clearly shows the stranglehold of the virus on the people here.

With reports from different parts of the country clearly implying that the the new variant of the virus in the second wave is more lethal and spreads faster, one can imagine how stretched the health infrastructure must be right now.

Of the 579 who reported positive on May 9, how many need hospitalisation? How many are on life support system such as oxygen?

Do the two premier hospitals in Manipur, RIMS and JNIMS have adequate ICU beds? How well placed are the private hospitals to take in the critically ill patients?

What steps can the different NGOs take to help the State Government augment the supply of medical oxygen in the State?

Or can the Government alone ensure adequate supply of oxygen to the patients who need it or will need it?

The situation is disturbing and even scary.

While it is the duty of the Government to ensure that the hospitals are well equipped to meet the needs of the patients, the public too must respond accordingly and come to the realisation that they too have a significant role to ensure that the hospitals are not over crowded and not over stretched and the only way to ensure is to strictly stick to the Covid appropriate behaviour.

Unfortunate it is but it is still not uncommon to see many refusing to wear the face mask in the right way.

Many have been pulled up for their failure to wear the face masks when they step outside and to think that the refusal of some sections of the people to stick to the SOPs even as reports on the number of deaths and infections continue to rise is truly disturbing.

It would do good for the COVID-19 Common Control Room to convey to the media how many are in critical state out of the daily number of positive cases they give every day.

For instance of the 579 reported positive on May 9, how many of them need hospitalisation/ICU treatment?

This will go some way in giving a more clear picture to certain section of the people who are just not ready to follow the SOPs.