Guwahati entering a corona critical stage; Ready for plasma therapy: Himanta Biswa Sarma

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Guwahati is entering a critical stage of COVID-19 infection. Keeping pace with the threat perception, the State Health department is also adopting new models of test and treatment like 'COVID-19 AG test' and 'Plasma Therapy' through the setting up of a 'Plasma Bank' in the GMCH (Guwahati Medical College and Hospital).

Talking to the media here on Wednesday, State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "Moderate-level symptomatic corona cases have been rising in Guwahati. In such positive cases, patients become very serious. The people of Guwahati need to be very careful as we're entering a critical stage. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already asked us to carry out 10,000 tests every day in Guwahati. However, that's not an easy task for us. We can conduct at best 4,000 sample tests every day in Guwahati.

"We're adopting a new model for conducting sample test – COVID-19 AG – that can give us the result within an hour. Positive results of this machine are quite accurate. With such a sample testing machine, we can segregate the COVID-19 positive people from the rest in Guwahati within ten days. We're also going to set up a plasma bank in the GMCH. We're ready for 'plasma therapy'. For this, we can collect blood from cured symptomatic COVID-19 patients. We've ordered all recommended drugs for COVID-19 patients. We're also increasing the number of beds for COVID-patients to raise them up to 3,000 in Guwahati."

On the sudden rise in COVID-19 positive cases in Guwahati, Sarma said, "Many people in the city have voluntarily given swab samples for test. Most of them, however, haven't followed the mandatory isolation till their results are out. They roamed about in the city. They are the 'super spreaders' of the virus. It's a criminal offence, and it is applicable to all – doctors, politicians and all others. Even the State Governor has given his sample for test. He'll go for the isolation period till the result is out. I appeal to all in the city to stay isolated after giving sample for test till the result is out.

"We've also launched a website – covidassam.in— where the results of the 3.42 lakh samples tested can be seen. The person giving sample gets an FRS number in his mobile phone. With the FRS number, the person can search the result of his test in the website."

On questions regarding the very low number of death against a large number of COVID-19 positive cases in the State, the Minister said, "The credit for this goes to our doctors and other medical staff. It's for their efforts we've contained the mortality rate. COVID death rate of Assam is the lowest in the country."

Responding to the allegations that the Department mostly sends people to COVID care centres, instead of home quarantine, the Minister said, "This is mostly for separate toilets. If common toilets are used during home quarantine, the risk of infection is very high if the quarantined person is a COVID positive one. From today we've allowed supply of home cooked food to people in quarantine. However, food has to be served in disposable dishes."

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