PANAJI
Covid fatalities continued to remain high in Goa with 63 persons succumbing to the infection between Wednesday and Thursday.
Almost 15 of these 63 deaths occurred at Goa Medical College and Hospital between 2 am and 6 am, the period that is now being termed as the “dark hours” due to the sudden drop in oxygen supply during this time each night.
The State’s Covid victim count has now touched 1,937. Of these, a total of 1,106 fatalities have occurred since April 1 this year.
Additionally, Goa recorded 2,491 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday. With the sample testing size having been increased to just over 7,000 once again, the daily positivity rate dropped to 35.16 per cent.
The State now has a total of 32,953 active Covid cases while the total confirmed cases since March 2020 have crossed 1.3 lakh.
The recovery rate is languishing at 73.19 per cent.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Thursday addressed a meeting of the State expert committee on Covid-19 and claimed that the SEC has endorsed his decision to use Ivermectin as prophylactic (preventive) medicine across the State irrespective of any symptoms for all persons above 18 years of age.
The decision has come under heavy fire from all corners and especially from medical experts since the announcement on May 10.
Chief Scientist of World Health Organization Souwmya Swaminathan warned against the use of Ivermectin, a broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug, as a part of Covid management protocol. Interestingly, even Merck, the company that manufactures these drugs, has issued a stern word of caution against its use under Covid-19 medical management.
Paying no heed to these warnings, Rane has succeeded in bulldozing his decision and declared that the distribution of Ivermectin will commence from next week. Citizens will now be treated with a five-day course of Ivermectin 12mg.
