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Bengal govt reactivates Covid Patient Management System; daily count crosses 2k
West Bengal reported 2,783 new cases on Thursday and seven deaths. The daily number of cases had dropped to around 130 in mid-February
The daily count of Covid-19 cases in West Bengal crossed the 2,000-mark earlier this week prompting the state government to reactivate its Covid Patient Management System (CPMS) in various hospitals The system allows effective monitoring of patients.
West Bengal reported 2,783 new cases on Thursday and seven deaths. In early December 2020, the state had reported an almost equal number of cases. The daily number of cases dropped to around 130 in mid-February this year.
“With cases surging, the CPMS has been reactivated. The system was launched in July 2020 for better management of Covid patients. The system also had an OTP-based interface that allowed family members of a Covid-19 to get regular update about their kin’s wellness,” said a senior official of the state government.
All hospitals have been directed to log the details of Covid-19 patients in realtime and update the patient monitoring score at least four times a day.
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“Hospitals have been directed to upload data related to the admission, treatment, discharge and death of a Covid-19 patient on the CPMS, including the early warning score and basic health parameters,” said a health department official.
The system was put in place last year after several hospitals in Bengal drew flak from family members of Covid-19 patients who alleged that they were not getting any information about their kin undergoing treatment.
At least 96 doctors were deployed and worked 24x7 to maintain the CPMS, including providing telemedicine to Covid-19 patients.
Health experts have said that one of the primary reasons for the surge in cases in West Bengal are mass gatherings – road shows and public meetings - before the elections.
“With elections going on, political parties are organising huge public rallies and roadshows every day and thousands of people are gathering together. Precautions such as social distancing and wearing masks have taken a back seat. Under such circumstances there has been a staggering rise in Covid-19 cases,” Sukumar Mukherjee, member of the expert committee that was set up in 2020 to advise chief minister Mamata Banerjee on pandemic-related matters, had said earlier this week.
On February 26 when the Election Commission of India announced the poll schedule, there were 3,343 active cases in the state. On Thursday, the state reported 16,109 active cases in various state-run and private hospitals – a rise of nearly five times.
