COVID-19 Fight: Odisha CM Calls For Popularising Plasma Donation, Promoting Home Isolation

Bhubaneswar: In order to strengthen the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday called for popularising the plasma donation, enhancing the testing, and promoting home isiolation.

Making a review of the COVID management, he said Odisha has been putting up a brave fight against pandemic in last five months and have seen good successes. This has been possible for the untiring efforts of all our frontline COVID warriors and people’s representatives, he added.

“In a span of three weeks, we could establish five Plasma Therapy units. I appreciate the efforts of the administration, doctors and medical professionals of those hospitals. The concept of plasma donation must be popularised at all levels,” Naveen said.

Calling for taking the fight against COVID-19 to the next level, he said the government has decided to substantially enhance the testing in the coming weeks. About 32,000 tests were conducted on Tuesday, he added.

The chief minister advised the collectors to lead the programme to conduct tests at sub-divisional hospitals and community health centres. BDOs and PRIs should play an active role in motivating people to voluntarily come forward for testing and launch a campaign to destigmatise the COVID-19 positive persons.

Considering the fact that home isolation provides better and early healing for asymptomatic and persons with mild symptoms, the government has allowed home isolation as the preferred mode, he said.

“Home Isolation must be promoted as a good practice. The fear for the disease and stigma around it must be removed from the minds of the people,” Naveen said.

He also directed to prepare and distribute a home isolation kit comprising dos and don’ts, few basic medicines and a list of telephone numbers of doctors, counsellors/tele-medicine professionals and government officials.

Stating that Khurda, Cuttack, Jajpur and Sundargarh districts need focus, he said Odisha is one of the states having the highest recovery rate and the lowest fatality rate in the country.

“We are one of the few states in the country which is providing universal care for COVID patients completely free of cost. From testing to treatment to food, transport, accommodation, everything is provided free of cost, and the objective is because of financial problem, nobody should suffer without being able to get treatment in Odisha,” the chief minister said.