The Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced the decision to stop home quarantine in 18 districts which show higher COVID-19 positivity rate than the State’s average.
Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the decision was taken to ensure better health care facilities to patients in districts which weree showing higher positivity rate. “COVID care centres in these districts will be preferred as isolation facilities where patients will be kept. This is essential to break the chain of infection,” he noted.
According to the government, Satara, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Osmanabad, Beed, Raigad, Pune, Hingoli, Akola, Amaravati, Kolhapur, Thane, Sangli, Gadchiroli, Wardha, Nasik, Ahmadnagar and Latur are the districts that have higher positivity rate than the State average.
Mr. Tope, who held a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Collectors of all districts, said the authorities have been directed to concentrate on focused testing and not random. “Increasing testing numbers without proper direction won’t help to control the spread of the virus. Focus should be on high risk and low risk contacts. This focused testing only will help to break the chain,” he stated.
Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Vadettiwar said on Monday that Buldhana, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Yavatmal, Amravati, Sindhdurg, Solapur, Akola, Satara, Washim, Beed, Gadchiroli, Ahmednagar and Osmanabad are few of the districts which were showing a rise in cases and would not see relaxations in restrictions from June 1. These districts were in the red zone and curbs would be made stricter.
Mucormycosis cases
The State had seen a total of 2,245 cases of mucormycosis. As of now, 120 have died due to the disease and 213 recovered. According to the government, since the treatment is multi-dimensional, every hospital cannot treat people suffering from it. The government had notified 131 hospitals for its treatment . “We have asked district administrations to record and update each and every patient of mucormycosis, as based on this, Amphotericin B will be made available for treatment,” he said.
Informing about the global tender issued for Amphotericin B, Mr. Tope added that 60,000 vials of it would be available by June 1. “We have to manage in the next three days.”
