State govt plans to minimize mortality rate due to COVID-19

Bengaluru: With the COVID-19 cases crossing 750 and the fatalities reaching 30,the Karnataka government on Friday decided to work out strategies to minimise the mortality rate in the fight against the coronavirus in the state.

Karnataka recorded its biggest ever single-day spike of 48 new COVID-19 cases, including an infant, taking its total to 753 today. Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar chaired a high-level meeting with the top rank officials to chalk out a strategy to minimise the deaths due to the deadly virus, a government press release said.

The state government is taking its fight against COVID-19 to the next level, and will additionally focus on measures to reduce the mortality rate in critical patients in the State by strengthening health systems to ensure that critical patients are treated early.

“This will help reduce the death rate of COVID-19 patients in Karnataka,” Bhaskar was quoted as saying.

He said instructions have been given to all the District Health Officers to nominate nodal and sub-nodal officers to monitor and capture details of ICU patients, patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) and the critically ill on a day-to-day basis.

Necessary arrangements have been made for the Critical Care Support Team to conduct training for COVID-19 teams in designated hospitals on current treatment protocols, the officials apprised the Chief Secretary.

It was pointed out in the meeting that district committees to streamline their interactions with the Critical Care Support Team for better patient care have been set up.

Additional Chief Secretary Jawaid Akhtar apprised the Chief Secretary that the team of expert doctors have recommended the use of pulse oximeters for all patients.

It was also decided in the meeting that all the patients having lung related diseases should be tested for COVID-19, the press release stated.

“We have advised districts to procure two or three high flow nasal cannula systems for patients and suggested non-invasive ventilation for patients as well,” Akhtar was quoted as saying.

The government was open to involving private medical colleges and private institutions if there was surge in COVID-19 cases.

The state government decided to apply to the ICMR to seek permission to conduct lung biopsies after the death of COVID-19 patients and for clinical autopsies.

“This (lung biopsy) will help in providing critical patients with more effective care and bring down mortality rates,” Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Commissioner, Department of Health and Family Welfare,said.