The number of COVID-19 deaths hovering around 30 since last week in the state has become a bone of contention to the members of different committees advising and guiding the Mamata Banerjee government since the pandemic hit the country more than two years ago.
According to a leading member of the Global Advisory Board (GAB) formed by the state government,” We are seriously worried about the number of COVID-19 deaths at a time when the infection positivity rate is receding regularly since the third wave of the pandemic triggered by the new variant Omicron hit our state in December last year.”
“Number of novel coronavirus deaths could be brought down if COVID-affected patients with comorbidities like hypertension, high diabetes, kidney and cardiac ailments and cancer are treated in a COVID care hospital where all other infrastructures like expert doctors in super speciality departments are also available to treat these cases,” he said requesting anonymity.
“Dedicated COVID hospitals lack adequate infrastructure facilities to treat comorbidities-r, prime concerns for novel coronavirus affected patients,” according to the GAB member. “COVID-19-affected patients along with co-morbidities are vulnerable to mortality. Omicron variant, which is highly infectious but less lethal than that of Delta plus, can also cause huge damage to the COVID-patients belonging to the co-morbid category,” Dr Samiran Panda, an epidemiology expert associated with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under the health ministry, told The Statesman today from Delhi.
“As per the ICMR’s mathematical projections, most of the states in the country would see the third wave of the pandemic receding by the middle of March. Several states like Bengal, Maharashtra & Delhi have already experienced such a trend,” Dr Panda said. The positivity rate of Covid infections in the state has come down to below two per cent from 30 per cent during early January.