Late diagnosis and delay in reporting to hospital is contributing to 75% of recent COVID-19 fatalities, Health Secretary T. Arun said on Friday.
Addressing media, Mr. Arun said in most instances seen recently among patients who died with 24 hours to 48 hours of hospitalisation, they had waited for five or six days without diagnosing symptoms and reached a healthcare facility only after severe breathing difficulty.
He appealed to everyone to visit a PHC and get tested for coronavirus symptoms such as a persistent cough, running nose, or fever.
Noting that there had been a near 20-fold increase in COVID-19 cases compared to figures in early March, Mr. Arun said the situation warranted strict compliance with safety protocols such as masking, hand sanitising and social distancing.
He also urged everyone above 45 years to get vaccinated at ongoing camps at 100 sites. While in the five days of the Tika Utsav alone about 52,000 persons had been vaccinated, the total number of immunised persons aggregated to 1.30 lakh in the Union Territory and an estimated 11 crore persons in the country to date.
Therefore, there is no basis for any fear over getting vaccinated as no adverse event had been reported at these camps, he said. Visitors can approach these vans with any of the designated photo identity documents between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
