By PTI
JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday called Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, principal secretary to prime minister PK Mishra and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval regarding the shortage of oxygen and medicines for COVID-19 patients in the state.
Gehlot tweeted about this, saying they were requested to provide oxygen and necessary medicines in proportion to the number of active cases, which are rapidly increasing in the state.
The chief minister said the number of active cases has gone up to 1.70 lakh and reasoned that oxygen and medicines should be allocated to the state in proportion of the active case count as soon as possible so that the public can get relief.
The state recorded 158 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest so far in a single-day, in the last 24 hours, raising the fatality count to 4,084 on Thursday, while 17,269 fresh cases pushed the infection tally to 5,80,846, according to an official report.
Chief minister Ashok Gehlot, former Barmer MP Manvendra Singh were among those who tested positive for the infection on Thursday, while Girraj Singh Lotwara, president of Shree Rajput Sabha, died from the coronavirus.
Jaipur accounted for a maximum of the new new fatalities linked to the virus, registering 32 deaths, followed by 30 in Jodhpur; 12 in Udaipur; 10 each in Sikar and Barmer; eight in Kota; seven in Bikaner and Dungarpur; six in Bhilwara and five in Alwar.
The remaining deaths were reported from other districts.
The state capital also registered a maximum of 3,602 fresh COVID-19 cases, followed by Jodhpur which recorded 2,036 new infections.
A total of 4,07,243 people have recovered from the infection in Rajasthan and the number of active cases stands at 1,69,519, according to the report.
Coronavirus patients with acute symptoms should be admitted to hospitals while the asymptomatic ones and those with mild traits can be treated at home with their oxygen level monitored regularly, according to a Rajasthan government guideline issued on Friday.
The guidelines for admission and discharge of COVID-19 patients, prepared after consultation with senior doctors, was issued by Medical Education Secretary Vaibhav Galaria on the instruction of state Health Minister Raghu Sharma.
Asymptomatic patients or those with mild symptoms can be treated at home and their oxygen level should be monitored regularly through pulse oximeter, Principal of SMS Medical Hospital in Jaipur Dr Sudhir Bhandari was quoted as saying in a release.
He said if there is a breathing problem, pain in the chest or nausea then the treatment monitored by doctors should be started and if the symptoms are acute, then the patient should be hospitalised.
If the oxygen level of the patient inhaled in a room is continuously more than 90 per cent or able to arrange oxygen at home and the parameters are improving then the patient can be discharged from the hospital, Bhandari said.
Negative RTPCR test report is not required for such discharging patients whose parameters are improving, he said.
