Goa reports 2 more deaths, takes weekend toll up to 5

PANAJI: The state’s Covid-19 death toll rose to 14 on Sunday after two persons, both having co-morbidities, succumbed to the virus. While five persons died of the infection over the weekend, the state’s active tally rose to 952, with 85 new cases and 59 recoveries.

The first death on Sunday was that of a 49-year-old man from Palolem. He was undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, at a private hospital. On June 28, he was transferred to the ESI-Covid hospital in a critical condition. He died of Covid on Sunday at 7.30am.
Later in the day, an 80-year-old woman from Chicalim died. Although she received treatment for two weeks at the ESI-Covid hospital in Margao, her condition didn’t improve though her vitals were stable. A health official said that she was bedridden before hospitalisation, and suffered from dementia.
This was Chicalim’s second death after that of former MMC councillor Pascoal D’Souza.
“We are doing everything possible to prevent the spread of the virus in our village,” said sarpanch Kamla Prasad Yadav.
“Sanitisation and awareness campaigns are being undertaken by the panchayat.”
Meanwhile, health minister Vishwajit Rane launched the plasma bank at GMC. Recovered Covid-19 patients have been requested to come forward to donate their plasma. The state government has set this week as its target to commence plasma therapy.
Rane also fended off allegations from political opponents regarding the state’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis. The Goa Forward Party (GFP) said that the state doesn’t have ventilators in adequate numbers to treat critically-ill patients.
“What GFP is saying is absolutely wrong,” Rane said. “We have sufficient ventilators at the ESI-Covid hospital. There is a provision for 40 ventilators. Besides, 50 more ventilators have been connected at the Goa Medical College (GMC) and hospital. There is nothing to worry about.”
He also rubbished an allegation by independent MLA Rohan Khaunte that 500 patients were being discharged on Sunday. The health minister said that 59 people were discharged, and that the discharge process for all states has been stipulated as per the Supreme Court’s June 19 order. According to this, states must follow a uniform discharge policy issued by the Union ministry of health and family welfare, he said.
Meanwhile, even as Sunday’s number of fresh cases was 32 fewer than the previous day, two new places — Neura and Batim, both in Tiswadi — reported seven and three new cases respectively.
Also, a part of Fattawada in Nerul, which falls in the jurisdiction of the Candolim primary health centre, has been declared a micro-containment zone. It has witnessed a jump in cases from 3 to 23 within six days.
Betki, which has seen a spurt in cases since last week, reported eight new cases, and part of it was declared a containment zone. Zuarinagar, Ponda, Mangor Hill and Baina also saw their tally rise. Besides, 12 travellers also added to the list of new infections.
Rane said that Goa’s testing rate is perhaps the highest among all states, at over 60,000 tests per million population. As of Sunday, the state has conducted 89,596 tests.