JOIN USAssam's Covid-19 mortality rate lowest among big states, says Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
Aggressive treatment of Covid-19 patients from the moderate stage of infection has helped Assam keep the mortality rate at 0.24% so far, which was lowest among all big states, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday.
A total of 48 persons have succumbed to the virus in the state so far, which was 0.24% of the total cases. Assam had reported 19,754 Covid-19 positive cases till Thursday afternoon, of which 6,815 were still active.
"Today, we are even ahead of Kerala (0.37%) and Tamil Nadu (1.43%). We have not compared our figures with small states like Arunachal Pradesh or Meghalaya, where the number of cases is very low. Similarly, our recovery rate today is 65% and we are just behind Delhi, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu. We managed to keep our mortality rate low due to our decision to go for aggressive treatment from the moderate stage of infection," Sarma told reporters in Guwahati.
Sarma said the state's medical colleges took a collective decision to go for aggressive treatment at the moderate stage, which included oxygen therapy and the use of prescribed steroids like Dexamethasone and injection like Remdesivir.
"Fortunately, these medicines helped us as only four out of 65 persons given these medicines at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital died. When we fail at the moderate level, these patients are admitted to the ICU. Out of the 118 people put into ICU at GMCH, 35 have died. The credit goes to our doctors. The death rate in ICU is more in other states," he said.
Plasma donation campaign:
Sarma said the Assam Health Department would accord the state a guest status to those in other states willing to donate their plasma to Assam plasma bank for treatment of the critical Covid-19 positive persons.
"We are launching a publicity campaign at the national level urging people to donate their plasma. Assam government will bear their air transport cost, stay, and accord state guest status to them. The plasma of a person who recovered from coronavirus infection can save the lives of two Covid-19 positive persons at a critical stage. In the state, those donating their plasma will get preference in government jobs or in government scheme benefits," he said.
Assam started plasma bank at GMCH and Lithikesh, a post-graduate medical student from Mysore in Karnataka was the first donor. Four others have also donated their plasma so far, he said.