Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Health Department today attributed the rising single-day fatality figures to a lag period between infection and deaths even as the daily positive cases are stable in the State.
DMET (Directorate of Medical Education & Training) director Dr CBK Mohanty said that a new term has been coined on Covid deaths called 'Lagged CFR'.
“There is a lag period between infection and deaths. There is a term called Lagged CFR (Case Fatality Ratio) which means a patient took time to slip to severity and finally succumbing,” he added.
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It has been observed world-wide the reduction in daily Covid cases doesn’t happen uniformly. There are ups and down in several places in the country as well as in our State.
“If we compare the data of last 15 days, the cases have seen a substantial decrease. The rate of infection is on the decline. We hope it will come under control within few days,” Mohanty said.
Reduction in infections solely depends on human behaviour. “If we follow the Covid protocols strictly, the rate of infection would fall at the earliest. But in most of the cases, it is seen people are roaming freely in towns just after the government eased restrictions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mohanty said that the required manpower to handle ECMO treatment has been appointed in the State. The tender process has reached the final phases. As soon as it arrives, the treatment will begin in the State, the senior health expert said.
Speaking on the ECMO machine installation at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, Mohanty clarified that the process for the same had been initiated in November last year. During that time, the Central government had not decided on the utilisation of the machine for Covid treatment.
It was initially decided that the ECMO machine would be used in cardio thoracic treatment, he said.
Meanwhile, a Central team has arrived in the State to review the Covid situation and prepare a report accordingly.
The team comprises professor Sibani Datta, professor of Kolkata-based All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health and AIIMS-Bhubaneswar professor Prashant Raghab Mohapatra. The team will discuss with Odisha health officials and prepare a report on the districts having high infection rate.
The DMET chief said that the Central team’s visit to the State is a regular affair during the time of disaster or pandemic.
“This time a technical team is visiting the State and will review the situation in view of the technical aspects. If the team seeks any assistance from the State, we would provide them. They would work as per the direction of the Central government,” Mohanty pointed out.