Goa records three more deaths in 24 hours as Covid toll rises to 12

PANAJI: The state’s Covid-19 death toll rose to 12 on Saturday after three persons, all from Vasco, died of the infection. Goa’s active case count also crossed the 900-mark for the first time, after 117 new infections were detected and 81 patients cured.
The three deaths — an 80-year-old woman, a 31-year-old man and a 75-year-old man, all having co-morbid conditions — took the port town’s death toll to 7. All three were at the ESI-Covid hospital, Margao.

While most of the day’s cases were reported from Vasco — specifically, Baina, New Vaddem and Zuarinagar — and Valpoi, other areas such as Dharbandora, Cuncoliem, Nerul, Carambolim, Shiroda and Sakhali also saw a marginal rise.
Meanwhile, health minister Vishwajit Rane said that an apheresis machine — for plasma therapy — has arrived at Goa Medical College (GMC) and hospital, and is ready for installation. “I’m closely monitoring the same along with the GMC dean. Four doctors who are specialists in transfusion medicine are joining GMC,” he said.
Apheresis is the process of collecting specific blood components, such as plasma.
Rane said that the machine would be commissioned at the earliest for the treatment of Covid patients. Earlier this week, the state government declared its plan to introduce plasma therapy for treating critically-ill patients.
Rane also lauded volunteers who have come forward to donate their plasma after recovery from Covid-19. GMC dean Dr S M Bandekar also appealed to patients who have recovered from the infection to approach the hospital to donate their plasma.
The state is also in the process of starting antibody and antigen tests, and expects to receive kits shortly.