Comorbidity deaths surpass COVID toll

GUWAHATI: It's for clearing the air on COVID toll in the State. Till September 8 the COVID toll in the State has been put at 378. However, during the period 650 other COVID patients also died in the State due to other ailments.

The Committee headed by the DME (Director of Medical Education) and formed in accordance with ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) guidelines doesn't count these 650 deaths with the COVID toll. The committee takes decisions on COVID and non-COVID deaths based on patients' history of ailments.

The disposal of the mortal remains of COVID-19 patients is another cause of concern in the State. However, to ease the situation the State Health and Family Welfare department has taken a decision. In the event of family members not receiving bodies of COVID patients or if they don't have the wherewithal for cremation or burial of such bodies the department will pay Rs 5,000 to the district administration against each such body for cremation or burial.

The protocols for quarantining travellers should no longer be hazy now. The department has made it clear that if a person goes outside the State and returns within 96 hours the person won't have to go for ten-day quarantine. The person, however, will have to undertake RAT (Rapid Antigen Test) after returning to the State. And if the person tests COVID positive home isolation or going to COVID Care Centre is mandatory. And if the person tests negative for COVID-19, his/her swab samples will be collected for RT-PCR tests. So long the result of the RT-PCR test is not out, the person will have to stay in home isolation. If the test result is COVID negative, the question of the person's quarantine doesn't arise.

Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had a meeting with the police station-level quarantine management committees, the district administration and others engaged in enforcement of quarantining corona positive patients and incoming travellers to the State on Friday. Sarma said that the situation is escalating every passing day.

The statistics of the past ten days makes it crystal clear. From September 1 to 10 as many as 26,769 persons tested COVID-19 positive. On an average, there are 2,600 positive cases per day. To cap it all, in the past two days 36 COVID patients died in the State.

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