PANAJI: Goa saw the grimmest day of the
pandemic so far on Monday, as 17 persons succumbed to the infection, the highest single-day toll since its outbreak. The state also saw 940 new cases, and its positivity rate shooting up to 34% — more than one in three persons in the state tests positive.
While the death toll shot past 900, the active case count, which crossed 7,000 on Sunday, soared past 7,500 on Monday. The youngest deceased was a 19-year-old woman who died within a few hours of admission at Goa Medical College (GMC). She had chronic kidney disease.
A third of the fatalities on Monday were under 50 years of age. A 47-year-old man died within 30 minutes of admission.
Health minister Vishwajit Rane said that this time around, the rate of infection has been high. “It was 18-20% last time, and now it’s over 24%,” said Dr Jose D’Sa, director of health services.
Rane said that although he has spoken to several experts and epidemiologists around the world, nobody has a clue as to when the curve will be flattened.
“Nobody seems to know,” Rane said, urging people to take precautions, and do the basics of wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.
“The government is doing its best to provide quality healthcare and save lives, but people must also act responsibly. Please donate plasma and help us save lives,” he said.
The requirement for plasma has gone up consequent to the rise in infections, but the response to plasma donation drive has hit rock bottom. Rane said that the combination of Remdesivir and plasma helped bring down mortalities during the first wave, and appealed to people to come forward to donate plasma.
Rane also said that the requirement of oxygen cylinders will double over the next few days. The government has tapped various sources to bridge the gap between demand and supply.
The oxygen requirement at GMC, which was 8-10 trolleys a day, has gone up to 45 trolleys a day, while the South Goa district hospital’s need has increased to 18 trolleys a day. “It will soon go up to 25 trolleys a day for the South Goa district hospital,” he said.
He said the state required around 5,000-6,000 vials of Remdesivir a month. “GMC’s central pharmacy has 660 vials of Remdesivir after distribution to the South Goa district hospital,” said dean Dr S M Bandekar. “We will receive 4,000 more vials from Cipla on Tuesday.”