Team Herald
PANJIM: Health experts on Thursday said that even the first dose of the COVID vaccine is helping save lives, and that there have been no deaths of people who have been vaccinated.
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Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar said that a very small percentage of people who have taken the vaccine have tested positive for COVID, but emphasised that the second COVID wave is nothing like the first one and warned people not to take it casually, given the comparatively high positivity and mortality rate.
Bandekar was speaking alongside State Health Secretary Ravi Dhawan, and Health Services Director Dr Jose De Sa at the first daily media briefing on the COVID situation.
While Dhawan said there has not been a single person who has died due to COVID after taking the vaccine, Bandekar asked people not to believe misleading information being spread about the vaccines on social media.
The duo confirmed there were no deaths amongst patients taking a single dose even and advocated how the vaccine can effectively combat the severity of the COVID symptoms that can help save lives. Bandekar added that the vaccine doesn’t provide 100 per cent guarantee that a person may not test positive again after taking the vaccine but that doesn’t discount the huge difference it makes in helping to treat patients.
He urged the people to go for vaccination as the present phase has been so deadly, the number of people who have died have increased, many of whom expire only hours after visiting the hospital.
He said it has pained him greatly to see such numbers but the prevailing strain is strong, it causes major damage to the lungs and sometimes people wait before getting themselves hospitalised, by which time it is too late. He also pointed out that the virus is targeting youngsters in a big way too.
“The present positivity rate is at 34 per cent and every third person tested is positive. The solution is following COVID appropriate behaviour and vaccination. Once you have symptoms like body ache, loss of smell and taste, fever get yourself tested. Do not wait for the test results to start taking basic precautionary medicines after consulting with doctors or DHS helpline 104. If you have these symptoms get your chest (lungs) examined at the hospital,” Bandekar said.
He stressed on the importance of checking with doctors as people with comorbidities like diabetes may take the wrong medicine and says the protocol for what medicines are to be taken are available at any health centre.
While Dhawan said that the recovery rate is at 84.5 per cent, De Sa added that the Health Department’s staff members have been in constant touch with patients under home isolation for whom medical kits have been provided.
Responding to queries from media persons, Dhawan said both District Collectors’ offices are in the process of identifying and notifying micro-containment zones at places where there is a major cluster of COVID cases.
The Health Secretary added that the government has not received any official request from GMC doctors asking for separate individual accommodation to protect themselves but said such a request can be considered.
He also said it is not easy just to set up testing laboratories as the same have to be cleared by ICMR and have to be according to scientific and medical standards. This was in reply to questions as to why the government is not setting up centres at the border. He said testing also should be done judiciously given the existing demand where all can’t be tested en-masse but only those with symptoms. He clarified that he is not in the position to comment on whether travellers should be asked to bring COVID negative certificates as it is the State government that can comment on that.
De Sa clarified that there was a small misunderstanding with at the TB Hospital Margao’s vaccination centre, which was resolved immediately and the centre was running at 11am.
Government sources added that GMC’s Super Speciality block to take in COVID patients will be made ready soon.
Sources also confirmed that the double mutation COVID strain from Maharashtra is in circulation in the State, which could be linked to the exponential rise in cases.
BATTLING PANDEMIC
HOSPITALISED PATIENTS: 956 at government and private hospitals, bulk of patients in government hospitals
BED CAPACITY: 1060 – government has 843 beds, 217 at private hospitals
GOVT HOSPITAL CAPACITY: 310 at GMC which will increase; 320 beds at South Goa District Hospital; 150 at ESI Hospital Margao and is likely to increase; 63 at Sub-District (SD) Hospital in Ponda
PVT HOSPITAL CAPACITY: Private hospitals scaling up numbers. Four major hospitals with 15-55 bed capacity are Manipal Hospital (Dona Paula), SMRC in Vasco, Victor Hospital (Margao) and Healthway Hospital (Old Goa). More hospitals with 8-12 bed capacity have started admitting patients like Imperial Hospital Margao with 11 beds
COVID Care Centres: Capacity of beds at COVID Centres is 455, of which 165 being used by COVID patients (milder symptoms as compared to those hospitalised). Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium Bambolim, Fatorda Stadium and Shiroda Primary Health Centre are COVID Centres
PATIENTS UNDER HOME ISOLATION: 90% of 10,228 active cases are under home isolation
PLASMA BANK: 30 plasmas available at GMC’s plasma bank, with numbers are changing daily as about 7-8 plasmas being used every day. Efforts on to increase number of people donating plasma. Plasma is also given to private banks as and when required.
TESTING INFRASTRUCTURE: 4,000-5,000 tests being done per day. Option for citizens to go to private labs is available at capped rates. 24/7 Mobile RT PCR van at GMC can do 900 tests per day and is now being sent to Asilo hospital. To clear backlog of test results, given three days time is taken, government has outsourced analysing of pending samples to Thyrocare that can provide 5,000 test results in 36 hours. Pending samples from all government centres to be sent to this agency
COMPLETED VACCINE FIGURES: 2,11,906 people have taken first dose, 54,729 have taken second dose. Combined, a total of 2,66,635 people have taken the vaccines. On Thursday 8,737 people got the vaccine
TARGET FOR NEXT VACCINE PHASE: Estimated that population of 18-45 age group is six and a half lakh. State is confident that present set up can meet requirements. There are 37 places with the government and 25 in private sector that provide vaccines
HOW THE NEXT VACCINE PHASE IS DIFFERENT: System for earlier vaccination programme will change in the new phase. Vaccine will still be free at govt centres. Earlier, Centre provided doses. As of now, State provides vaccines to private hospitals and will recover Rs 150 per dose and hospitals could charge Rs 100 extra. Existing mechanism for the private sector will cease from May 1. Now, State govt and private sector will procure vaccines from manufacturers at declared price. Cost of Covishield from SII is Rs 400 per dose for State and Rs 600 per dose for private sector. Govt expecting delivery before month-end and are awaiting confirmation
OXYGEN SUPPLY: Govt emphasises there is adequate supply of oxygen to hospitals in the State. On April 21, Centre put Goa in its revised allocation plan for a certain amount of daily oxygen supply from the plant nearest to Goa that manufactures liquid oxygen. This plant is situated at Kolhapur
REMDESIVIR VIALS: Government reiterates it has enough vials of anti-viral drug Remdesivir and that a system has been put in place for loaning the same to private hospitals as and when required
