North Bengal’s holistic Covid war- new plans to combat the ongoing second wave of the pandemic

The administration in Jalpaiguri increased bed capacity across various hospitals and safe homes spread across the district

People wait for the RT-PCR test at a camp in Malda on Wednesday.: Picture by Soumya De Sarkar

TT  Bureau   |   Siliguri   |  13.05.21:  The spike in Covid-19 cases across north Bengal districts has made the state health department and respective district administration draw up new plans to combat the ongoing second wave of the pandemic and simultaneously try and augment healthcare facilities for patients.

In Jalpaiguri, the administration increased the bed capacity across various hospitals and safe homes spread across the district and is now working to augment oxygen supply.

“Altogether, we are adding around 1,000 extra beds in these hospitals and safe homes. This will increase the bed capacity to 1,450 in the district and more patients can get treatment. Beds include general and those with CCU and HDU facilities,” said an official of the district administration.

On Wednesday, Moumita Godara Basu, the district magistrate, held a meeting with health officials and representatives of three civic bodies in the district.

“Oxygen plants will come up in a number of hospitals soon. Meanwhile, we have decided to use cylinders to give oxygen to patients in some of these locations. Accordingly, the administration and the police have arranged around 100 cylinders from industrial units, more would be arranged in due course,” she said.

The district administration has also taken up the task to start vaccination of transport workers and hawkers.

“According to the chief minister’s announcement, we will start the vaccination of these people. Instructions have been passed to prepare a database (of transport workers and hawkers). The civic bodies will help in this regard,” the DM added.

In neighbouring Alipurduar district, the block administration of Kalchini has taken a first of its kind initiative in tea gardens.

Prashanta Burman, the BDO of Kalchini, said from Wednesday, they started conducting swab tests of residents in tea gardens.

“In my block, there are 21 tea gardens. As thousands live in these gardens and migrant workers have started returning home, we felt this assessment (of Covid spread) is necessary so that appropriate arrangements can be made in due course,” said Burman.

In Malda, 274 fresh cases and four deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours. As of now, there are around 2,600 active cases in the district.

The surge in Covid cases has made the administration in Malda close down prominent “haats” (weekly rural markets) across the district for next two weeks. “Later, we will review the situation,” said Rajarshi Mitra, DM, Malda.

The pandemic situation has also prompted the Id celebration committee at Kaliachak in Malda to cancel the mega gathering at the Idgah ground in Noi Mouza of Sujapur. It is considered the second largest gathering in the state on the occasion of Id, after Red Road in Calcutta.

“Nearly one lakh people offer prayers on the day of Id-ul-Fitr here. But this time, we have cancelled it and have been making public announcements to make people aware. We are urging people to offer prayer at local mosques or at homes with minimum gathering to avoid infection,” said Hamidur Rahaman, secretary, Noi Mouza Idgah Prayer Committee.