Despite rising COVID-19, Omicron variant cases, no stress on health infrastructure, says Rajesh Tope

Notwithstanding the exponential rise in COVID 19 and Omicron Variant cases in Maharashtra, there is no stress on the state health infrastructure, said Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Monday after attending the meeting chaired by the union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

"There are 2,02,259 active COVID 19 patients and 85% of them have no symptoms. About 13% of patients are in mild to moderate conditions. The number of the corona patients currently growing will increase further and reach its peak by the end of January after which the patient graph is likely to decline,’’ he added.

Tope said of the total 38,850 ICU beds, only 1,170 ICU beds are currently occupied and of 16,000 ventilator beds patients are being treated on 700 ventilator beds across the state.

"This means only 1% of the total patients need ICU beds and 2% require oxygen at present. So nowhere is it the case that there is a situation where deaths are happening on a very large scale and ICU and oxygen are being consumed on a very large scale,’’ he noted.

He also informed that home isolation kits will now be developed at the district level in the state. "The District Collectors should prepare home isolation kits. We have instructed the District Collectors to provide 20 ml sanitiser, 10 masks, brochures, 10 paracetamol tablets, 20 multivitamin tablets and home isolation kits to every patient who is home isolated, positive and receiving treatment at home,’’ he said.

The minister said that the quarantine period will be for seven days across the country and there will be no change in it. ‘’The state government will call up patients in seven-day quarantine on the first, fifth and seventh day and the record will be maintained for the same,’’ he added.

Tope said, "The number of deaths is low where vaccination is high. Therefore, the emphasis will be on increasing the speed of vaccination. About 90 per cent of people in the state have taken the first corona vaccine and 69 per cent have taken both vaccines."

According to the minister, the government will step up tracking, tracing and testing and increase the pace of vaccination. He, however, urged the citizens to follow COVID-19 norms to curb the spread of virus infection.