Death by COVID mounts to 156 in Barak Valley

* Is Cachar heading towards lockdown?

Special Correspondent

SILCHAR: There has not been expected improvement in the overall COVID situation of Cachar. Two other districts of Barak Valley, Karimganj and Hailakandi, have not been given any relaxation in curfew hours either though the pandemic situation comparatively shown some improvement. The State Disaster Management Authority has even indicated if things do not show any sign of improvement lockdown can't be ruled out. What has gone wrong with the Cachar administration in the management of COVID?

Dr Ibrahim Ali, District Surveillance Officer, Health Department, keeping a watch on the development said, "Both the district administration and health department have gone all out to control the pandemic. Massive awareness campaign to educate people in urban and rural areas, free vaccination and test, RAT and RT-CPR, centres, medical kits to deserving patients, ambulance facility, extended bed capacity in SMCH, ventilation and oxygen support, besides 24X7 services from war room continue."

If these measures can't bring the desired result, this is most unfortunate, Dr Ibrahim Ali pointed out. The harsh reality is that a good number of people on the streets and crowded markets are seen without masks or masks protruding from their necks. Social distance is virtually mocked at. How many people take to sanitization is difficult to say. At a meet of the district administration with senior citizens some time back, it was given to understand that stricter measures have to be taken by police against those who violate COVID guidelines. Still serious, most people in home isolation move outside, spreading infection as pointed out by Suman Choudhury, DME.

A senior journalist of Hailakandi, Satananda Bhattacharjee, narrated his own experience of a market scene of Tarapur here. Even more than one hour after curfew hour, the market did not thin away. No police man on the way questioned him or detained his car during the 50 km drive after curfew hours. Police today was seen in action, perhaps jolted by the cautionary notice of SDMA. Ditumoni Goswami, O.C, Sadar Thana, said as many as 50 persons have been rounded up from different locations of the town for violating curfew regulations.

Dr Bhaskar Gupta, Vice-Principal of SMCH, giving update on COVID today said the situation is more or less the same as can be clear from the fact that as on date at 5pm, 148 patients are in active condition, 20 on oxygen and 109 on ventilation support, 90 in ICU and 58 in COVID ward. But the number of deaths is the cause of worry. During the last 24 hours, 5 persons have died. They are Indira Rani Singh (58) of Kabuganj, Amulya Suklabaidya (77) of Hailakandi, Paresh Kanu (55) of Karimganj, Gobinda Chanda Das (90) of Banglowghat, Cachar, and D P Gurung (70) of Kumbhirgram, Cachar. This has pushed the total death figure to 156 in the valley from April 1 to June 16, 2021. Is Cachar heading for total lockdown, this is the big question?

Also Read: COVID-19 Second Wave on Decline in Barak Valley