Sudden upsurge in death toll worries Assam Health department

* COVID Death Audit Board on job to ascertain reasons

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The State Health Department is trying to pinpoint as to "what has gone amiss that the COVID-19 death toll in the State is so high all of a sudden even though there is no dearth of oxygen, ICUs (Intensive Care Units), medicines, doctors and nurses".

The death of 151 people in the past ten days from April 20 to 30, 2021 in the State is something to worry about. The Department has entrusted the State COVID Death Audit Board to delve deep into the problem. Most of the recent COVID-18 deaths are in Guwahati. The COVID death rate in the State is 0.5 per cent. In the past three days, 22 people died on Wednesday and 26 people each died on Thursday and Friday.

According to sources in the Health Department, all patients are getting treatment as oxygen, ICUs, medicines, doctors and nurses are adequate in the State. They also feel that now the doctors and nurses have been experienced ones in treating COVID patients.

If nothing has gone awry in the system, what could be the reason behind such a high COVID-19 death toll in the State? And this has kept Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma worried. This has led the Minister to ask the Board to find the facts behind the high death toll in hospitals, including the private ones.

What the fact-finding board will get in its inquiry is something to keep tabs on. What's glaringly visible, according to Health Department sources, is that even now a section of people keeps their fever hidden. Some of the people try to treat themselves. However, when they go to the hospital, much damage is done by the virus, the sources said. Comorbidities among a section of COVID-19 patients are also responsible for the high death toll in the State, the sources added. Patients not adhering to guidelines that are meant to be followed by them during home isolation also make them to be critical.

There are allegations of negligence on the part of doctors and nurses leading to the high COVID-19 death toll in the State. If such allegations have any truth in them that may come out in the inquiry of the fact-finding board, the sources said.

Sources want to make it a point that doctors and nurses might have been fed up with their rigorous COVID duty since 2020. They need to be replaced with new ones so that they can go for rest for some time, the sources feel.

Since 2020 as many as 1,307 people died of COVID-19 and 1,347 COVID positive patients died of other reasons in the State.

However, the high death toll in the State in the past few days has made a section of people aware of the fatality involved in the infection. Nowadays, people are seen to queue up for COVID-19 testing and vaccination. However, even now another section of people isn't at all serious in adhering to COVID-appropriate behaviour.

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