SHILLONG, July 25: Ten more patients succumbed to Covid-19 on Sunday, taking the death toll in the state to 1,024 while 597 fresh cases pushed the active tally to 5,007.
Among the fatalities, five were reported from East Khasi Hills, three from West Garo Hills and one each from West Jaintia Hills and South Garo Hills.
The total recoveries has gone up to 55,163 after 288 patients recovered from the viral infection in the past 24 hours.
242 fresh cases was reported in East Khasi Hills, 105 in West Garo Hills, 62 in West Jaintia Hills, 54 in Ri Bhoi, 51 in West Khasi Hills, 18 each in South West Khasi Hills and North Garo Hills, 17 in East Garo Hills, 13 in East Jaintia Hills, nine in South Garo Hills and eight in South West Garo Hills.
15 minors fall victim to virus in state
The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of 15 of over 2,800 children infected with the virus in the state so far.
Retired Director of Health Services (DHS) and in-charge of Corona Care Centre, Dr Hunsi Giri said most of the infected children had mild symptoms.
“There have been very few severe cases among the children,” she told reporters on Sunday.
As a part of the preparation for third wave, Dr Giri said the state is planning to go ahead with the construction of Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs). She said the setting up of a PICU at the Ganesh Das Hospital is in progress. She said two-third of the work has been completed.
Dr Giri said the PICUs can be set up in eight districts. North Garo Hills, South West Khasi Hills and South West Garo Hills do not have paediatricians and they are not in the department’s scheme of things for now in as far as the PICUs are concerned. They will, however, have High Dependency Units.
Union Home Minister, Amit Shah had on Saturday inaugurated a PICU with seven beds at the COVID-19 Step Down Hospital at Umsawli.
Dr Giri said the Health department appointed a Nodal Officer each in various districts. A paediatric doctor from Mairang has been appointed as the Nodal Officer for South West Khasi Hills, she said.
“We have assigned the Nodal Officers to look after the needs of the districts which do not have a child specialist doctor,” Dr Giri said.
She said the department has already conducted online training for the PICUs. She said the online training for one-month certificate course with around (Contd on P-4)
Ten more succumb to COVID…
(Contd from P-1) 500 participants will be completed on July 26.
She added that Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D are in the trial phase for COVID-19 vaccines for children.
It may be recalled that Union Home Minister, Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated the PICU with seven beds at the COVID Step Down Hospital at Umsawli.
At present, PICUs are available at NEIGRIHMS, Woodland Hospital, Nazareth Hospital, Children’s Hospital and some other hospitals.
