PG final year medical students to work in ICU wards: Maharashtra Health Minister
'Covid-19 cases are expected to rise during July and August but we are working to ensure that the fatality rate does not go up,' says Rajesh Tope
New Delhi: Maharashtra Health Minister said on Friday that Covid-19 cases are expected to rise in the state in the next couple of months and that the state is working on curbing the fatality rate.
"Covid-19 cases are expected to rise during July and August but we are working to ensure that the fatality rate does not go up. We are increasing the number of doctors and ICU beds in the state to meet the demand," said Rajesh Tope.
The minister also said that the state cabinet has decided to avail the services of PG final year medical students in ICU wards.
"A resolution has been passed in the Cabinet for availing the services of PG final year medical students in ICU wards. We are procuring important anti-viral drugs and increasing their stock in each district to ensure availability," said Tope.
Earlier this month, Tope said the state government will procure 10,000 vials of Gilead Sciences Inc’s repurposed antiviral remdesivir for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
The minister also said on Friday that the state is not hiding the number of cases or deaths.
"We're strictly following ICMR guidelines regarding Covid-19 and not hiding the number of cases or deaths. Sometimes we report some deaths of past days on a particular day due to reconciliation but it does not mean we want to hide anything," he said.
Maharashtra's Covid-19 tally on Thursday increased by 4,841 cases - a new single-day high - taking the count to 1,47,741, while the death toll rose to 6,931, said a health official.
The state also reported deaths of 192 more patients, taking the total fatalities to 6,931, he said.
Out of these, 109 deaths took place in the last 48 hours, while the remaining 83 occurred earlier, but were not listed as those caused by COVID-19, the official said.
Also, 3,661 patients were discharged from hospitals in the state, taking the number of recoveries to 77,453, the official said.
With this, the number of active patients in the state stood at 63,342.
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