SHILLONG, Jan 6: The Shillong Civil Hospital, the largest government medical facility in the state capital, is preparing to handle the third wave of COVID-19 despite a shortage of doctors.
Joint Director (SS) of the Civil Hospital, Andreas Dkhar told The Shillong Times that the Hospital has been mandated to manage only severe cases of COVID-19 – the C and D categories – while the Stepdown Hospital at Umsawli will take care of the mild cases.
The Shillong Civil Hospital has been designated as one of the health facilities in the district for the management of COVID-19. It currently has two positive patients.
Admitting that the hospital is short of doctors, Dkhar said the cancer wing that was used for COVID-19 patients earlier is being used for cancer patients again.
“We are short of doctors and if there is a surge, we will need doctors here and in Umsawli. We are getting some contractual nurses,” he said. The hospital’s new building with four floors has been activated. The building has space for the treatment of 20-25 COVID patients but its capacity can be increased to handle 70-75 patients.
The hospital has a centralised oxygen facility and the contractors have been told to connect the PSA oxygen plants to the new building.
Stating that the hospital has a good supply of oxygen right now, Dkhar said they will not face any problems if the infection rate turns out to be like last year.
He lamented that people are refusing to wear masks when the Omicron variant has been found to spread faster. “It is difficult to predict how Omicron will behave. But if we are not careful and don’t take precautions, the risk will be quite high,” he said, stressing the need for early testing to detect the virus.
2.2 positivity rate in state
The positivity rate in Meghalaya stood at 2.2% on Thursday, a substantial jump since January 1. Health officials said 202 out of 9,188 people tested were confirmed positive over the last seven days while the fatality rate was 0.495%.
According to the Health department’s dashboard, 171 out of the 202 confirmed cases were detected in the East Khasi Hills district. The district’s positivity rate was 5.44%.
Five districts – West Khasi Hills, South West Garo Hills, South Garo Hills, North Garo Hills and East Garo Hills – have not reported any COVID case yet.
The state recorded 10-15 positive cases till January 2. The cases started surging from January 3, officials said. The increase can be attributed to the increase in the number of tests being conducted daily – from 300-400 earlier to 1,500-2,500 now.