Cuttack: The second largest city of Odisha, also known as the Millennium City, Cuttack today is standing strong against an alien disease that is fast spreading its tentacles. Like other cities of the country and Odisha, Cuttack has been putting up a brave front in its fight against the Coronavirus. The fight against the Coronavirus in Cuttack is being fought by the Civic Body Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) with its full strength and vigour.
Though the CMC areas are registering an increase in the number of Covid-19 positive cases in the city, it is due to the increased thrust on testing, tracking and treatment. Meanwhile, on the treatment front, the administration of the civic body has put up a robust health infrastructure in place to cater the growing needs of the infected people.
According to the updated information available, Cuttack today has four Dedicated Covid-19 hospitals with 461 beds. The hospitals are equipped with all available modern amenities and are providing healthcare facilities not only to the people belonging to the CMC area, but also people from other areas of the district.
CMC’s Covid-19 Health Infra Status Builds Confidence
The available data indicates that as on 15th September 2020, the total capacity of the four hospitals including Sadguru, Aswini, Sun and Shrusti Covid hospitals which are providing Covid-19 treatment is at 461, out of which as many as 181(39%) beds were available vacant. Similarly, out of the 226 Incentive Care Unit Beds (ICU) and Semi ICU that are functioning in four dedicated Covid hospitals, as high as 57 ICU beds were available for emergency services.
Another 39 ICU beds are coming up at the SCB medical in next week, besides a proposal of 20 ICU beds in a 100 bedded hospital at Southpoint hospital has also been sent to government for approval.
The data further reveals that the Covid-19 patients are getting easy access to treatment in the CMC areas due to better planning and management of the Covid-19 health infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the government is also planning to set up more number of dedicated Covid-19 hospitals. Besides, if situation arises we can acquire private nursing homes and convert them into dedicated Covid hospitals, told, CMC Commissioner, Ananya Das to thenewsroom.co.in.
The administration is making continuous efforts to ensure availability of beds in the city so that every single patient can be admitted immediately and provided best of services, she added. The CMC also reshuffles patients’ everyday so that no beds are occupied by those who don’t need them, and vacancies are created for new patients, Das said.
Aggressive Strategy to Ramp up Testing
Meanwhile, the CMC has adopted an aggressive strategy to ramp up the testing and find out positive patients to curb further spread of Covid-19 virus. It has kick started a strategy of decentralized testing in all PHCs available for anyone having Covid-19 symptoms. Besides, in a bid to widen its coverage, it has also started the collection of swabs in special camps from slums, apartments or offices where a number of positive cases have been found.
The CMC has kicked off a massive door to door thermal screening including oxygen checks to find vulnerable cases and test them immediately, so that the infection to other people can be curbed at the early stages.
For those who are in home quarantine, the CMC has also carved a detailed strategy of contact tracing and testing of contacts after 4 days of home quarantine. “With the aggressive strategy for testing, we expect more number of positive cases in the coming days, but we are well prepared for that as we have put a robust health infra in place. We are ensuring availability of both general and ICU beds in the dedicated Covid-19 hospitals”, told Das. We ensure best treatment to each person who turns up to medical for Covid-19 treatment, she added.
Candidly, Das further said, with aggressive testing, door to door surveillance and better health infrastructure, one can beat the covid-19.
The data further reveals that due to better Covid-19 management in the CMC areas the per day positivity rate is hovering around 200 to 260, even through the testing has gone up substantially in last 14 days.
Another interesting feature of the testing being conducted in the CMC is that, administering is doing higher number of RT-PCR test (considered as gold standard test) in comparison antigen. Many health experts believe that CMC’s testing strategy is well ahead of others in terms of accuracy.
Besides, CMC has deployed as many as 50 AYUSH doctors and 20 paramedics for door to door surveillance and follow up of high Infectious cases. If required, we can deploy more number of MBBS and AYUSH doctors including paramedical staffs at a very short notice. The situation is very much in control and our team is working 24 hours keeping close watch on it, signed off the CMC Commissioner while spelling out the Civic body strategy to curb the Coronavirus.
The Commissioner also expressed hope that the situation will further improved in next week in the city.