Bhubaneswar: Even as the second wave of Covid-19 is ostensibly dying down, the state government has started rolling up its sleeves to tackle a possible third wave of the highly infectious virus that is likely to affect the kids more.
Speaking to reporters here, state Public Health director Niranjan Mishra Wednesday said the peak of the Covid-19 second wave is already over and the government is taking all necessary steps for the possible third wave.
“Preparation to tackle the pandemic is a continuous process. A special task force has been formed for the purpose. As per its recommendations, preparation for the third wave is being expedited,” Mishra said, adding, the state government has already issued detailed guidelines to the districts to remain prepared for possible third wave.
Separate wards for Covid and other patients in all district headquarters hospitals will be set up. Door-to-door survey has kicked off to trace and track more infections especially in rural areas, he said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Tuesday, had asked senior officers to be prepared for the possible third wave. He had directed the officials to strengthen child care facilities in the state.
Speaking on black fungus infections in the state, he said “We have reports of 41 patients infected with black fungus so far while many other states have reported thousands of such cases. Necessary steps are being taken.”
Stating that the state might have crossed the peak of the second wave of Covid-19 in May, the director said the infection rate is now showing downward trend and will continue to dip in the coming days.
States like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana have crossed the peak earlier as the outbreak of the second wave started early there. In case of Odisha, the infection came late, so dip in daily cases would be delayed accordingly, he added. Mishra attributed the daily deaths to more critically-ill patients being treated at various hospitals.
