BERHAMPUR: As Covid cases witness constant decline in the district, administration has decided to close the dedicated Covid hospital (DCH-1) on MKCG MCH campus from Monday. Earlier, two Covid health centres (CHCs) at City Hospital and Meenakhinagar were closed during the first week of June on the direction of Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange.
While DCH-2 on the MKCG MCH campus would continue operations, decision on the functioning of Aswini and Tata Covid Hospital (CH) is yet to be taken. As per contract, Aswini Hospital is likely to be closed by the end of the month whereas Tata CH would keep running as 50 patients are currently undergoing treatment at the facility. Kulange attributed the decline in infection rate to strict adherence to Covid guidelines and extensive vaccination across the district.
Reviewing the situation through virtual medium, Kulange said vaccination is the only way to fight the deadly virus and shop owners, auto and taxi drivers and hawkers should be inoculated on priority basis. He added that traders should get themselves and their staff vaccinated and put up the certificate in front of their shops else they won’t be permitted to conduct business.
A target of vaccinating 26,38,132 persons in the district has been set and plans to inoculate around 1,200 persons daily in each block will be chalked out. Kulange reiterated focus on ‘Pancha Sutri’ guidelines by shopkeepers and asked officials of the drugs department to keep a track of medicines sold at shops to ascertain symptoms of the purchasers.
Alongside, he directed officials to keep a strict vigil on liquor sale after stipulated hours as well as on conduct of marriages and picnic and distribution of seized food from such places among the needy. Ganjam recorded 26 new cases including nine from the BeMC limits on Monday and 33 recoveries. With three deaths on the day, the toll reached 315. While active cases stood at 228, overall recovery rate was 98.3 per cent.