SIVASAGAR, July 19 - Health, Education, PWD and Finance Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma met the Sivasagar district administration in a meeting today evening at the Sukapha Bhawan here and reviewed the overall situation in the district brought about by the pandemic.
The Minister, accompanied by Minister Jogen Mohan, MP Topon Kumar Gogoi and MP Rameswar Teli, instructed health officials to strictly follow clinical procedures while conducting swab and Rapid Antigen Tests every day.
The Minister told the district administration to set up 3 or 4 more COVID-19 Screening Centres in the district and conduct a minimum of 300 test per day. He suggested that ASHA workers should be deployed to identify persons with travel history and help them in going for tests.
Dr Sarma instructed the SP of Sivasagar to strictly implement inter-district travel ban and also contact the truckers in the loading and unloading places in order to make them cooperate with the healthcare system.He also directed the Health Department to carry out swab tests on the jail inmates too.
Sarma said that till August, the situation may further deteriorate and in September it may show signs of improvement.
He said that asymptomatic patients may be asked to stay at home if they have separate toilet and have no one at home with diabetes or above 60 years of age.
The Minister assured that over 3,000 Rapid Antigen Test kits will be sent to the district soon.
The Deputy Commissioner of Sivasagar Lakhinandan Gogoi, Superintendent of Police Amitabh Sinha and Joint Director of Health Services Dr Jayanta Biswa Sarma, among others, attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, going by the present tend of transmission every single day, Sivasagar town is heading towards becoming another hotbed of COVID-19.
With 24 new COVID-19 patients being detected during the last 24 hours, 87 of the 117 beds in Sivasagar�s Covid Hospital have already been occupied by patients.
One Doctor in Moran, one security man of an SBI ATM and 10 women have tested positive during the last 24 hours. Barring a few, all the others did not have any travel history.
Dr Udayaditta Rajkonwar, senior medical officer of Sivasagar said that general people need to be very careful now and avoid social contact as far as possible.
