Odisha to launch plasma therapy in 3 COVID hospitals from Wednesday

The Odisha government on Tuesday decided to start plasma therapy to treat critically ill patients in three dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, officials said.

The decision was taken at a review meeting presided by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The plasma therapy will be introduced in SUM Hospital and KIIMs hospitals in Bhubaneswar and Ashiwini Hospital in Cuttack, they said.

SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack has been chosen as the nodal centre for plasma therapy to be implemented for the first time in the state from Wednesday, said Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, P K Mohapatra.

He said plasma therapy has been helpful in reducing mortality rate in other states. The fatality rate in Odisha, however, is below one per cent and presently stands at 0.50 per cent, Mohapatra said.

During the review, the chief minister told the officials to focus on five selected districts - Ganjam, Cuttack, Khurda, Jajpur and Sundergarh which have recorded a surge in COVID-19 cases.

"The situation in the five districts continues to remain challenging," an official said, adding that of the total 14,280 positive cases reported so far in the state, Ganjam accounted for 4,335 cases. Ganjam also tops the list of fatalities by reporting 44 of the 74 COVID-19 deaths in the state.

Interacting with the district observers, Patnaik asked them to augment the health care infrastructures in the five districts in view of the rise in COVID cases. Bhubaneswar in Khurda district, Cuttack and Ganjam districts have been badly hit by the COVID-19 following the return of many migrant workers from different hotspot states in the country and abroad, the observers informed Patnaik.

The chief minister asked the authorities to focus on these five vulnerable districts and ensure safety and proper treatment of patients undergoing treatment in different COVID hospitals, Covid care Centres and COVID Care Homes across the state.

Referring to allegations of COVID victims' funerals not being done properly, Patnaik asked the authorities to ensure that last rites of the corona deceased are performed with dignity.

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Patnaik also directed the officials to augment the testing facilities and ensure adequate availability of ambulances for the emergency needs of the patients.

While around 7,000 samples are being tested for COVID everyday at present in the state, the daily testing will be increased up to 9,000 within a week, the meeting was informed.

While sero surveillance has already been completed in Puri and Bhubaneswar, presently examinations are being conducted on high risk groups like elderly persons, health workers, police personnel, media persons, hospital workers and medicine store employees.

The state government maintained that there was no shortage of hospital beds as of now. While there are 61,410 beds ready for the COVID patients in 6,128 COVID Care Homes, only 426 beds are so far occupied, leaving the rest vacant.

Similarly, only 18,153 returnees are lodged in different Temporary Medical Camps (TMCs) where as many as 47,919 beds are available in rural areas.

Similarly in urban areas, only 41 patients are in isolation against availability of 6,200 beds in 175 COVID Care Homes located in different towns. In Urban TMCs only 42 persons are staying against availability of 60,000 beds in 814 camps.

On training of the frontline workers like health workers, anganwadi workers and others, the state government has imparted training to above 5 lakh people. This apart, about 3.2 lakh people who completed their quarantine period in different TMCs have given their consent to work as volunteers.

The state government has meanwhile, allowed home quarantine of asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 patients in urban areas, the official said.

DGP Abhay, who also attended the review meeting, said the police have registered as many as 6,919 cases and collected Rs 4.5 crore from the offenders for violating mandatory mask wearing norms, Rs 63 lakh penalty on charge of violating social distancing norms. 

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