CANACONA
One more death and 11 new cases have added to the grim Covid figures in Canacona, but another major concern is the heavy pressure on the Canacona Community Health Centre (CHC) to manage the pandemic and other cases in the taluka.
While the Canacona CHC staff is overloaded with testing of cases, vaccination of people and treatment of patients with other ailments, low supplies of Covid related test kits and other stocks have also added pressure at the lone public health centre in the taluka.
On Sunday, 11 new cases were detected while a 82-year-old man succumbed to the virus.
According to Health Officer Dr Jose Tavares, the 11 new cases were detected in Agonda (3), Loliem (2), Poinguinim (1), municipality area (3), Shristhal (1) and Gaondongrim (1).
The 82-year-old man was detected with the virus only last Monday and succumbed to Covid-19 pneumonia at the South Goa District Hospital.
This is the 16th Covid related death reported from Canacona taluka.
Most of the 303 active cases are in home quarantine, sources said.
The Canacona CHC has been under heavy pressure in the last few days, with the staff working overtime to attend to people rushing to the CHC.
According to sources, people with Covid-like symptoms have been rushing to the CHC, the only government hospital in Canacona.
The hospital staff is involved in testing of people as well as administering the Covid vaccination drive, besides attending to patients with other ailments.
Sources said the CHC is also facing low supplies of Antigen testing kits and reportedly had only a few kits in stock, after already having utilised around 20 kits on Sunday.
There are also claims that the CHC faces low supplies of Covid related medicines which are normally given to patients undergoing home quarantine. Sources told The Goan on Sunday night that sufficient kits and stocks will be made available by Monday to ensure uninterrupted testing and availability of the needed medicines.
Meanwhile, the Canacona CHC team also conducted tests of houses in and around the micro-containment zone in Palolem.
