[ Karyir Riba ]
ROING, 7 May: Yet another patient from Lower Dibang Valley (LDV) district lost her life to Covid-19 on Thursday evening at the DCH in Pasighat, taking the death toll of LDV to three in just a little over a month’s span of the second wave of Covid-19 in the district.
This is the fourth death in the state in the second wave, taking the total to 60 deaths since the virus hit the state in April last year.
Nodal officer of the Pasighat DCH, Dr Talung Tali informed that the 50-year-old woman was brought to the BPGH on 4 May with complaints of shortness of breath for two days and “altered sensorium” for one day. She was immediately tested for the virus as her SPO2 level was very low, and she tested positive.
Dr Tali said, “When tested for any other health issues, she was found to be suffering from very high blood sugar. We immediately started insulin and Covid treatment on her. She was kept on oxygen the whole time. At around 6:20 pm on Thursday, there was a sudden drop in her SPO2 levels. After trying everything to save her, unfortunately, she was declared dead at 6:45 pm.”
According to the medical report, her death was due to severe pneumonia due to Covid-19 infection, with diabetes mellitus.
Dr Tali suggested that the people of LDV should be more careful and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour strictly. “The second wave of Covid-19 is more intense and directly attacks the lungs. All the Corona patients that arrive here from LDV have very less oxygen saturation. Right now we have 4-5 patients from LDV whose SPO2 levels are down but are stable as they are being kept under oxygen,” he said.
Meanwhile, to tackle the Covid situation here in LDV, the DA and the health department have identified the youth hostel and the forest training institute as Covid care centres (CCC). The patients will be charged a minimal fee.
Moreover, acting on complaints of Covid positive people roaming around freely instead of isolating themselves at their homes, all those who test positive at the testing centre will be kept under isolation in the district hospital here. They will be escorted by police in ambulances in hourly/two hourly batches, as per the results, to their respective homes if found fit for home isolation. Otherwise, the option of being shifted to a paid CCC will be given to the patient.
Counsellors appointed in the medical department will make at least 2-3 visits a week to people under home isolation to ensure that the SOPs are being followed, and to get updates on their health status.
Out of 132 samples collected on Friday, 26 people tested positive, 17 of whom are symptomatic. There were 299 active cases here as of Friday.
The rate of positivity has not taken a dip at all; however, LDV DMO Dr R Tatan explained that “it is not a matter of panic or frustration, because all the positives detected are mostly from the micro-containment zones. They will not become spreaders as they are already under containment.”
He said that, by the time the containment is lifted from these areas, they would have recovered from the virus.
Meanwhile, 169 people tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, pushing Arunachal’s total caseload to 19,802 (1,893 active).
The Itanagar capital region reported the highest 38 cases. Twenty-six cases were reported from Lower Dibang Valley, 16 each from Lower Subansiri and Upper Subansiri, 14 from Namsai, 11 from Changlang, 10 from West Kameng, eight from Papum Pare, six from Tawang, and five from Lohit.
Four cases were also reported from East Siang, three each from Upper Siang, Dibang Valley, Tirap and Lower Siang, two from West Siang, and one from Leparada.
Of the total cases reported on Friday, 55 are symptomatic and the rest are asymptomatic.
On Friday, 132 more persons recuperated from the disease, taking the total recoveries to 17,849.
