City registers lowest COVID death rate in State

This is the ICU ward at GMCH ready to treat patients. Preparedness on the part of administration makes all difference.

Principal Correspondent :

Vidarbha, a combination of two divisions registers lowest number of deaths

Though Maharashtra, among the country’s most developed State, has the largest number of COVID-19 patients at 23,264 positive cases including 3,470 discharged patients and 731 deaths, Nagpur division maintains its record with lowest death rate in State. In deaths and number of coronavirus positive cases also Nagpur doesn’t figure among top 40 cities of India. Vidarbha, a combination of two divisions also stands at the bottom in the order of coronavirus deaths inspite of spike in number of deaths in Akola. Till now Nagpur division witnessed 15 coronavirus deaths.

Akola division has 101 deaths. Thane division with over 4,500 deaths tops the table. Mumbai with over 3,500 deaths follows Thane. Pune has 811 deaths. Nashik Mandal which was far behind initially, witnessed spike in coronavirus cases especially in Malegaon taking the death toll to 397. Aurangabad division registered 190 deaths followed by Akola division comprising Amravati, Yavatmal, Akola and Buldana with 101 deaths. Kolhapur division and Latur division witnessed 36 and 32 deaths respectively. Nagpur division comprises Chandrapur, Wardha, Gadchiroli, Bhandara, Gondia and Nagpur has only 15 deaths. If one has a look at percent-wise statistics of coronavirus deaths, Nagpur region’s death percentage is only 0.92. Nashik leads with 6.75 followed by Akola with 4.83.

Thane registers 4.72 per cent deaths, Aurangabad 4.63, Pune 4.29, Latur 4.17. Kolhapur is second lowest in State after Nagpur region. Kolhapur registered 2.12 per cent deaths. Divisional Commissioner Dr Sanjeev Kumar who himself is a medical doctor came out with several innovative ideas and kept asking all the departments to show preparedness. Nagpur region has about 40,000 beds ready. Somehow the fast action by Nagpur administration about putting close contacts, suspects under quarantine, sealing the areas, testing the maximum samples and providing faster treatment to the patients worked well. Nagpur Municipal Corporation had sought help from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur to prepare a report on preparedness, and suggesting the ways to avoid fatalities. The team inspected all the sealed areas, hospitals made observations, suggestions which were found helpful by NMC and the civic body implemented the same. It made all the difference.

Nagpur played an important role in reducing the number of deaths and coronavirus positive cases in Nagpur region. Considering vast population, congestion, dense localities in Nagpur, the cases could have increased more. That did not happen. Secondly, the frontline healthworkers of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH), AIIMS worked hard while treating the Covid-19 patients. Several persons that approached without any history, were identified by the alert doctors at IGGMCH, GMCH, who later on tested positive for coronavirus. Hospitals in Nagpur left no stone unturned while testing the patients, the protocol which was not followed by Akola region. For example a woman patient who had tested positive at Akola was brought to Nagpur’s IGGMCH in a critical state died here.

When the doctors at IGGMCH made an investigation, they were shocked to know the samples of close relatives of the deceased woman were not examined. IGGMCH doctors immediately examined the samples and several persons tested positive for coronavirus. Such types of small but very important steps were taken by Nagpur hospitals that made all the difference. The kind of attentiveness on the part of doctors also helped in faster recovery of the patients. Several patients after reaching the stage of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) or even Acute Respiratory Disease Syndrome (ARDS) got recovered and became corona-free. This has helped Nagpur region in reducing the death number.

City registers 14 more COVID-19 positive cases, 20 discharged

Principal Correspondent

Though Nagpur is registering coronavirus positive cases daily, the recovery cases too are showing consistency. On Tuesday, 14 persons tested positive for coronavirus while 20 persons are discharged. The cumulative total of coronavirus positive cases stands at 1,294. Out of 14 coronavirus positive cases three are the residents of Parsodi, one is of Nal Sahab Chowk, Hansapuri, one is from Old Bhandara road, Shastri Nagar, two are from Nandanvan, one is the resident of Umred, one is the suspect admitted at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH).

All samples were examined at the virology laboraotary of IGGMCH. With 20 persons became corona-free, the total recovery reached 759. All 20 discharged were under treatment at IGGMCH. The number of persons recovered from IGGMCH reached 422, from Government Medical College and Hospital 275 while AIIMS figure stands at 49. Most of the people recovered are from Bangladesh, Hingna, Managlwari, Mominpura, Aradhya Colony area.