Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that in Kasaragod only those patients who cannot have their treatment elsewhere should attempt to go to Mangaluru seeking health care. Doctors have been readied in the Kasaragod border area and patients would have no problem in getting COVID-19 certification.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet gave approval for the creation of 273 posts for making the Kasaragod Medical College Hospital (MCH)functional. The posts were created so as to make a 300-bed hospital with a 24-hour emergency medicine division and OP/IP facilities feasible. The posts created include that of 91 doctors and 182 non-academic staff. The appointment to half of these posts would be done immediately. Kasaragod district accounts for more than half the number of COVID 19 patients currently under treatment in the State at 132.
The CM said the police would not confiscate the vehicles of those detained on suspicion of having violated COVID-19 lockdown without due reason. Instead, officers would fine the suspects and allow them to take their vehicles. The police had found it difficult to accommodate the large numbers of cars they impounded daily. For one, on Wednesday the police seized 1,919 vehicles and arrested 2,607 persons for curfew violation.
Mr. Vijayan said there were news reports about hospitals facing shortage of blood and appealed to all voluntary organisations involved in blood donation to intervene. He said that mobile blood collection units could be arranged.
He warned people against disposing of used masks and gloves carelessly on public roads as the SARS-CoV-2 virus can stay alive on such surfaces for a few hours.