BHUBANESWAR: As Odisha sees a rapid rise in new Covid-19 cases, the state government on Monday came up with a set of fresh guidelines to contain the spread of the virus at healthcare facilities.
The Health and Family Welfare Department directed all Superintendents of Medical Colleges, Directors of Capital Hospital and Rourkela Government Hospital, and CDMOs of all districts to strictly maintain Covid protocols prescribed for healthcare institutions.
They have been asked to ensure social distancing to decongest hospital campuses and also see that health care personnel and non-covid patient do not get infected.
As per the guidelines, all elective surgeries will be stopped and emergency surgeries will be taken up with universal precautions.
The central registration will be suspended for the time being and manual registration will be taken up with due social distancing measures in OPDs to avoid the large gathering at central registration counters.
The OPD medical officers have also been asked to avoid advising frequent re-visit of patients if not required. Restrictions have also been imposed on the entry of journalists inside OPD and IPD.
Covid appropriate behaviour will be strictly enforced in hospitals with infection control measures. Only one attendant will be allowed for the serious patients indoors while no attendant will be allowed inside the ward for ambulatory patients.
The number of drug distribution counters will be increased, while dedicated fever clinics, isolation wards, and testing facilities will be set up as per the guidelines issued by the government.
The Health Department has asked hospital authorities to remain prepared with facilities to deal with all types of emergency procedure including maternity and child care with Covid prevention protocol.
“People are to be encouraged to utilise existing telemedicine services for their ailments,” the guidelines issued by the Directorate of Health Services stated while suggesting that non-essential admission should be discouraged.
“However, timely medical care to emergency cases must not be denied in the name of Covid,” it stressed.
The department asked chief district medical and public health officers and medical superintendents to enforce the safety protocols and guidelines in all health facilities including private health establishments.
“If required hospital administrations may take further measures depending on the local situation to ensure social distancing and control infection in hospitals,” the health department stated.
Meanwhile, Odisha reported 1,741 new cases in the last 24 hours pushing the state’s active case tally to 9,259.
Sundargarh continued to remain the Covid hotspot with 268 new cases, while the daily caseload crossed 200-mark in Khurda.
Balasore reported 158 new cases, followed by Sambalpur (121) and Kalahandi (114). The infection count in Cuttack, Puri, Bargarh, Nuapada, Keonjhar, and Balangir also remained between 50 and 100.
The test positivity rate rose to 5.78% as the number of tests came down. As many as 30,097 tests were conducted during the period.
Two more persons, both men, aged 24 and 40 from Nuapada district died of the disease taking the Covid death toll to 1928. While the 24-year-old with no comorbidities succumbed during treatment, health officials said the 40-year-old was also suffering from hypertension.