Punjab starts assessing impact of possible second Covid-19 wave

CHANDIGARH: Fearing resurgence of the Covid-19 outbreak during the festival and winter season, the Punjab government has started assessing the impact of possible second wave of infection for better preparedness and to fill the gaps in existing infrastructure.

After reaching peak in mid September, the pandemic has slowed and the number of fresh cases and deaths have come down considerably in Punjab. The growth rate of cases, which during the peak had surpassed the national rate, is now below one in the state.

Though the prevailing trend has been steady since the last couple of weeks, medical experts have expressed concern over the possibility of a second wave hitting the state in the festival season or during the winter months. What is more worrying is that they fear that the second wave of infections could be more intense than the first.

The government is consulting experts for enhancing the capacity of both medical colleges and district hospitals. Experts from Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, assisting the state government in fight against the pandemic are visiting three government-run medical colleges in Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot to take stock of the existing infrastructure and recommend the required improvements. The experts of these three medical colleges have been assigned the responsibility of visiting the district hospitals to help enhance their capacity. At present, there are 7,971 Level II beds fitted with oxygen supply and 1,506 Level III beds that have intensive care units, ventilators, and oxygen support points.

Punjab Covid-19 spokesperson Dr Rajesh Bhaskar said the assessment of all Covid facilities is being done by teams of experts so that elaborate arrangements can be made beforehand. “It is difficult to predict the scale of the second wave as it has been different in different countries,” he said.

The health department has intensified surveillance for early identification and isolation of infected people. For better coverage, the number of surveillance teams has been increased to about 1,000. The health and medical education departments are reaching out to market associations across the state for distribution of masks and to encourage people to wear them, and also follow social distancing norms.