While the COVID-19 cases are increasing at a worrying rate in south Kashmir’s Shopian district with authorities declaring at least six localities as ‘micro containment zones’ on Tuesday, the District Hospital Shopian is “ill prepared” to handle any impending crisis.
An official said that the district administration declared Tak Mohalla, Chek Kachdora, Khan Mohalla Manloo, Dar Mohalla Zawoora, Kanipora and Malik Mohalla Narwani localities of the district as ‘micro containment zones’ after several positive cases were reported from these areas.
“The decision was taken to stave off further transmission of the virus,” said the official.
He said that of the 100 Rapid Antigen Tests conducted on Tuesday, 22 returned positive.
“If the number of positive cases persists at the current rate, the medical facilities in the area will soon be overrun with patients,” the official said.
Although currently the district has only 225 positive cases, the numbers are shooting up with each passing day.
The official said that the District Hospital Shopian has yet to constitute the COVID dedicated wards.
“The staff has not been deployed for COVID duty which has created chaos at the hospital,” the official said.
According to the official, the hospital is also understaffed to deal with any crisis.
The official said that sometimes the positive patients mingle with other patients, which results in the spread of further infection.
An attendant of the positive patient alleged that he had not been assisted properly in the facility.
The Ramedsivir injection considered as an important drug to treat COVID-19 patients has not been made available in any of the government medical facilities across the district.
A medic at district hospital Shopian said that last year during the first wave of COVID-19 some injections were supplied to the district hospital Shopian but their shelf life ended a few months ago.
“The district is currently facing an acute shortage of this drug,” said an official.
According to the doctor, a patient requires six doses of the injection and not a single dose was available with any hospital across the district.
People from containment zones said that the testing had not been ramped up in these zones.