GUWAHATI: Assam health minister Keshab Mahanta expressed readiness to tackle a possible third wave of Covid-19 by boosting the infrastructure of child care units across district hospitals.
Amid speculations that the children will be more vulnerable if Covid-19 third wave hits the country, the minister said on Sunday that the state health department has started to complete paediatrics and neonatal ICUs to face new challenges that can be posed by the new variants of the virus.
“We are fully prepared.
Every district of Assam is in a position to admit 500-1,000 Covid patients at any moment.
Works are on especially to complete the paediatrics and neonatal ICUs as a part of the preparedness,” Mahanta said.
Even as the Covid situation in the state is showing noticeable improvement with positivity dipping down to 3.03 percent on Sunday with a total of 2,228 new cases and 37 fatalities, he said that the state government is keeping additional beds in hospitals and Covid care centres to deal with any fresh surge in positive cases.
Mahanta said by June 15, the health department is hopeful of a ‘good result’ from various containment measures.
Health officials said that a target has been set to complete a minimum of 30 paediatrics and neonatal ICUs in each of the medical colleges to meet any possible third wave challenge.
Also, the government has started procurement of machinery to make five to 10 ICUs operational in each district hospitals.
“Special ventilators are required for babies.
The procurement process has started and hopefully the infrastructure will be ready by June-end,” Assam director of medical education, Dr Anup Kumar Barman.
He added that the peak of the second wave may have crossed Assam by May-end, though the positivity still remains relatively higher in a few districts.
“By the end of June, we are expecting a flattening of the curve of Covid cases,” Barman said.