DARJEELING: The second wave is expected to hit its peak from mid-May to mid-June in Bengal, predicts Dr Shushanta Roy, Officer on Special Duty overseeing the Covid-19 treatment and infrastructure in North Bengal. Dr Roy was also appointed as OSD (Public Health) North Bengal on Friday. "We have to be prepared for the second wave peak from mid-May to mid-June in the state," added Dr Roy, talking to media persons in Jalpaiguri.
After taking stock of the infrastructure, the OSD stated that as of now there was no crisis of oxygen in North Bengal. "We will create containment zones in areas where the concentration of positive cases is high," stated Dr Roy. Jalpaiguri Super Specialty Hospital is all set to get a Virus Research and Detection Laboratory (VRDL.) This will facilitate more RTPCR tests in the region.
Incidentally, the VRDL at the North Bengal Medical College conducts RTPCR tests catering to the Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar districts along with the Islampur subdivision of Uttar Dinajpur. Earlier, it was used to cater to the state of Sikkim also.
Working round the clock and conducting around 1500 tests daily, the heavy workload has resulted in backlogs. Last year, there was a proposal of starting a VRDL at Jalpaiguri. Though having received a green signal from the Health Department initially, it finally did not materialise. On Thursday, a team from the NBMCH had visited the Super Speciality Hospital in Jalpaiguri to review the infrastructure available for a VRDL. An existing lab located on the 8th floor of the hospital will be converted into the VRDL.
"A VRDL here will be a big boon to the region. It will reduce the workload of the NBMCH and will result in more and faster RTPCR tests" added the OSD.
Meanwhile, in Darjeeling with the surge in cases, the world-famous Himalayan Mountaineering Institute has decided to close its doors to visitors from May 1.
"We have decided to convert the Girls' and Boys' Hostel along with the indoor badminton courts into isolation wards for Covid-19 patients in order to help the district administration," stated Group Captain Jai Kishan, Principal, HMI.