Lockdown in Assam? Here's what Himanta Biswa Sarma says

Guwahati: A day after Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna announced that a lockdown could be re-imposed in Assam due to the "carelessness" of certain sections of society, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma mulled on the possibility of another lockdown to arrest the spread of the pathogen.

"Over the past few days, we are witnessing people's lackadaisical approach to wearing masks and social distancing. That is concerning as on this day and date, 433 patients are on oxygen support", Sarma said. "Now, the consumption of oxygen by COVID-19 patients has risen to 8.25 metric tonnes per day, and the number of patients who require oxygen support is rising. The total oxygen consumption in the state has risen to about 25 metric tonnes."

If more serious patients start arriving, Sarma said, the health department will be stretched to the max as the cumulative production oxygen in Assam is 37.86 metric tonnes. "We have a gap of 12 metric tonnes, but the rising demand for oxygen will pose a greater challenge for us. We are currently in talks with other states to import, but it will not be easy to ferry in tankers on a regular basis," Sarma said.

Sarma further said that 126 people have been admitted to ICU due to deteriorating health. "This includes a few known faces including Assam Legislative Assembly members," Sarma said. "We have 700 people who have received plasma, 1,350 people have received remdesivir, 433 people are on oxygen, and 126 people are in the ICU. These are grim statistics. Therefore, people are urged to follow the safety protocol."

Stating that the COVID-19 positivity rate has slowly inched upwards post-August 15, Sarma added that the number of "serious COVID-19 patients" in the state has started to rise.

Responding to a query on the possibility of yet another lockdown in the state, Sarma said, "Since people's livelihoods are at stake, we are not in support of another lockdown. We are on board with the unlock. However, if we run out of oxygen, we shall have to resort to holding discussions with the people. Therefore, I urge the people to don masks and ensure social distancing," Sarma said.

Sarma further announced that the patients in the 'paying cabins' shall have to choke up money. He also announced that ambulances will not be provided to COVID-19 patients to return to their houses. "However, the Government shall provide drop-off for patients from other states," he added.

The Government has also set up a "paid" RT-PCR testing facility wherein results can be procured within a day at the cost of Rs. 2,200, said Sarma, adding that this will benefit the people who need COVID-19 tests done on an emergency basis.

Sarma today further opined that the day is not too far when the Government will start charging money from COVID-19 patients. "We will not charge money from Below Poverty Line (BPL) persons, however, we feel that treatment shall not be free for all for a long time," the minister sighed.

Assam COVID-19 Update:

Assam crossed the one lakh coronavirus cases mark on Friday, with 2,560 new infections detected within 24 hours. Close to 300 fatalities have been attributed to the virus so far, with eight of those deaths reported yesterday.

Of the state's 1,01,367 Covid cases, 21,771 are active cases, while nearly 80,000 have been discharged from hospitals and medical facilities after receiving treatment.

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