Slight Respite for Covid-19 Hotspot Indore as 17 Patients Recover Fully, to be Discharged Soon

Indore: Madhya Pradesh’s commercial capital Indore, which has quickly emerged as a coronavirus hotspot, got a slight respite on Saturday when the administration said 17 of the total Covid-19 patients have now recovered and could be discharged from hospitals in a day or two.

Indore divisional commissioner Akash Tripathi confirmed the report, saying the 17 people will be discharged from hospitals after a few necessary tests.

The administration has also expanded the testing capacity of the labs, and from Saturday onwards, a total 150 tests would be carried out daily.

There is a sufficient number of medical equipment in the city, including medicines, masks and ventilators, assured Tripathi, adding that the situation could be brought under control in a week or so.

However, the city saw 23 new patients on late Friday evening, taking up the tally to 112 on Saturday. The city also witnessed two more death as two men, aged 42 and 80, died during the treatment. Another man died at Chhindwara, taking the MP death toll to 11.

Those suspected of having Covid-19 been quarantined and those with medical issues are being treated in hospitals under isolation.

The health staff is carrying out extensive check-ups in badly affected areas such as Nayapura, Khajrana, Ranipura, Chandan Nagar and Hathipala to contain the infection.

The city is currently under a week-long lockdown and essentials are being supplied at doorsteps with strict instructions to people to not venture out of their homes.

Carts have been engaged for collection of garbage from households.

Meanwhile, a Bhopal-based journalist and his daughter, who were said to have contracted the infection earlier, have now tested negative for the virus. The second test report of senior IAS officer J Vijay Kumar has been declared as positive and two other officers too have fallen ill and have been tested for Covid-19 symptoms.

On Friday, three floors of Satpura Bhawan, which houses the health department directorate in Bhopal, were sanitised. The officers who were in touch with the IAS officer are also being screened.

Till date, Madhya Pradesh has reported 158 cases of coronavirus and 11 deaths.