LUCKNOW: As Lucknow, Kanpur,
Prayagraj and Varanasi, districts with the highest number of
Covid cases in the state, ran out of beds, the government says it is trying to increase infrastructure on war-footing.
However, as more beds are arranged for, the government has appealed to people to not reach out for hospital beds if they can safely isolate themselves at home. For this, the district administration has been told to stay in constant touch with home isolation patients.
“Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has appealed to those who can stay at home and quarantine themselves to take medical assistance from our teams. The beds should be left free for serious patients,” said additional chief secretary (information) Navneet Sehgal. He said that directions have been given to increase the number of beds especially in Lucknow, Prayagraj, Kanpur and Varanasi.
The four districts, with 5,433, 1,702, 1221 and 1,585 fresh cases reported on Wednesday respectively, accounted for 48.46% of the total new cases in the state. However, they collectively accounted for 53.86% of the active cases in the state till Wednesday. Out of these, Lucknow reported over 5,000 cases for two consecutive days. The CM said that 840 additional beds had been arranged in Lucknow. This number will be increased in the coming days.
Meanwhile, directions for increasing beds in
Gorakhpur and Jhansi and other districts with a high Covid case load. These include ICU and isolation beds.
During the Team-11 meeting on Wednesday, the CM said that people should be asked to avoid going to crowded areas and wear masks at all times. He said that the number of RT PCR tests should be increased. Currently around 90,000 RT PCR tests are taking place while the CM has set a target for at least 1.5 lakh, taking the total testing up to over 2.5 lakh.
Quarantine centres are being made in all cities and villages where arrangements are being made for migrant workers who are returning to UP. They will be provided with food while arrangements will also be made for their testing.
The CM has said that arrangements should be made for dialysis for Covid positive patients. The chief minister’s office, chief secretary’s office, additional chief secretary (health) and principal secretary (medical education) should monitor these facilities regularly. They have also been asked to ensure that there is sufficient supply of oxygen in these hospitals. Medical colleges that are functioning as Covid hospitals should be given additional health workers and medical equipment on priority.