GUWAHATI, May 21: The Assam Health Department on Friday informed that despite the high number of active COVID cases, the state has a sufficient stock of oxygen, medicine and ICU/oxygen beds to treat patients.
State health minister Keshab Mahanta said that though vaccine supply by the Centre has been restricted of late, by June, Assam should have adequate stocks, even at private healthcare centres.
“Assam now has 13 oxygen plants functioning with the state having a daily availability of at least 100 to 120 metric tonnes of oxygen per day,” Mahanta informed reporters here on Friday.
“The state has surplus oxygen and has therefore been able to supply oxygen to neighbouring states of Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh every day,” Mahanta said.
In regard to COVID medicine, there is no reason for any worry at the moment.
Currently, the state requires 1600 Remdesivir injections per day as against a stock of 16000 such injections in hand.
“We have placed an order to get more stocks which will be available within 10 days. Moreover, we have an adequate stock of tocilizumab injections and have also placed an order to make the DRDO (2-DG) COVID drug available,” the health minister informed.
On the current status of bed availability for COVID patients, the health minister said that there are as many as 13,663 beds vacant with as many as 11,154 isolation beds, 1922 oxygen beds and 787 ICU beds at the health department’s disposal.
The bed capacity, has of late, been augmented in all the medical college hospitals and civil hospitals of the state.
“Moreover, we have kept another 3000 beds in Greater Guwahati ready,” he said.
Despite the supply restrictions, the pace of vaccination in the state has been decent. From March 1, 2021 to May 20, 2021 as many as 36, 19, 975 doses of vaccines have been administered in the state.
Assam has a stock of 314, 380 vaccines for people above 45 years and 116,870 vaccines for the 18-44 years category.
“As of now, we are having a supply issue even as we have adequate stock. But orders have been placed. By June, the supply of vaccines from the Centre will be augmented,” Mahanta said.
Assam currently has over 50,000 active COVID cases.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had on Thursday said that the COVID situation in the state should improve in the next 15 days provided all protocols are strictly adhered to by people.
“Several restrictions are in place and we have adhered to the micro containment policy of breaking the transmission chain. The positivity rate has come down to around 6 percent even as we are looking to enhance the testing rate, for which additional magistrates across the districts have been asked to oversee, along with the vaccination process,” Mahanta said.
According to the COVID death audit in the state, the mortality rates have been the highest among people in the 51 to 60 years and 61 to 70 years.
“This is mainly because patients are admitted to hospitals at the eleventh hour and in a very critical state…besides patients with comorbid conditions have succumbed to the virus,” the health minister said.
Assam has also released SOPs for enhancing institutional quarantine as against home quarantine, a factor triggering deaths and infections.
“We have barred COVID patients above 50 years from home isolation, considering the fact that patients come to hospitals very late, with a high percentage of them succumbing before 24 hours of arrival,” the health minister said.