“The government is already working to boost the manufacturing units of PPE, N95 masks, triple-layer masks, thermal analysers, ventilators and other equipment,” the CM said and urged people to use cotton masks and maintain social distancing. (File photo)
With the number of coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh rising to 332 and nearly half of the total 75 districts affected by it, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that the government is ramping up the number of COVID-19 testing centres in the state, including at the district level. He also instructed officials to start pooling of patients from districts where only one or two coronavirus patients have been admitted to ensure better use of medical resources.
Stating that for 23 crore population of the state, it is necessary to strengthen the testing facilities further, the Chief Minister said: “In Uttar Pradesh, for the past 4-5 days, there has been a rise in the number of cases… Every step is being taken by the state government in association with the Centre to stop the spread of the infectious disease. There are 24 government medical colleges in the state. In 10 of these, we have testing labs. Instructions have been issued to upgrade them, and in 14 medical colleges where there is no testing facility for COVID-19, the testing facility will be established.”
At present, there are 10 testing laboratories in the state.
“In UP, there are six divisional headquarters, where there are no government medical colleges. The state government will establish testing laboratories in these districts. The laboratories will be set up in Gonda, Mirzapur, Bareilly, Moradabad and Aligarh. In Varanasi division, there is a laboratory in BHU hospital, but we have started the work to establish a testing lab in a hospital there,” he added.
According to the CM, money from the “COVID Care Fund”, set up by him, will be used to expand testing and treatment facilities. “The government is already working to boost the manufacturing units of PPE, N95 masks, triple-layer masks, thermal analysers, ventilators and other equipment,” he said and urged people to use cotton masks and maintain social distancing.
He said asked people to “accept the lockdown in a disciplined manner”, emphasising that it was very important for better health and secured future of the people.
Meanwhile, he instructed officials to begin pooling of coronavirus patients for better use of health infrastructure. “It has been witnessed that for a couple of patients, the entire medical system of the district gets affected. Thus divisional commissioners have been ordered that in districts where one or two coronavirus positive patients are admitted, they should be moved to better-equipped hospitals. A decision has been taken to start pooling of patients at the divisional level so that medical resources are better utilised. Moreover, it would save other medical staff from chances of getting infected as well,” Principal Secretary (Health) Prashant Trivedi told mediapersons.
The government has also decided to take over some buildings like community centres and lodges, adjoining the hospitals to house asymptomatic patients who will need doctors there only. Trivedi said that the step would help in increasing the number of isolation beds by 10,000 in the state and would reduce the burden on the main hospital. “So far, we have noticed that 75 per cent of the coronavirus infected people did not show any symptoms,” Trivedi added.