By Express News Service
GUWAHATI: Assam will presume every single COVID case is the Omicron variant until the genome sequencing result arrives.
“It takes about four days to conduct the genome sequencing of Omicron. By the time the test result arrives, the patient recovers and the test hardly bears any significance. Therefore, we have decided that we will presume every case of Covid as Omicron,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told journalists on Friday.
So far, there are nine confirmed cases of Omicron in the state and Sarma warned this is just the beginning. He said the number of daily cases would go up to 10,000-15,000 by the end of January. The single day highest number of cases during the second wave was 6,536.
The state had recorded 150 cases on January 1. The figure rose to 844 on Thursday night. The CM said the cases were doubling in two days.
“The Omicron variant is very light and it spreads fast. We will ramp up testing. Currently, we are testing 30,000 people a day,” Sarma said.
Announcing a set of restrictions, he said passengers non-vaccinated or vaccinated by a single dose and those aged below 15 years would be mandatorily tested at airports and railway stations.
The government will advise passengers, who are fully vaccinated, to undergo a test at home with home testing kits or do it at a hospital, Sarma said.
Non-vaccinated people will be denied entry into hotels, restaurants, government offices, shopping malls, multiplexes etc. The government warned that a fine of Rs 25,000 would be imposed on their owners/management for any violation. Only those fully vaccinated would be allowed entry.
Only fully vaccinated government employees will attend office. The absence of the non-vaccinated or partially vaccinated will be adjusted with leave. Later, their salaries will be deducted.
Classes up to VIII in Kamrup (Metropolitan) district of which Guwahati is the headquarters and V in all other districts will not be held. Physical classes will be allowed on alternate days from Classes IX-XI. The 11pm-6am night curfew has been extended by an hour. It will now begin at 10pm.
Sarma said a positive sign of Omicron is that hospitalisation is less during the initial days of infection. Those in home quarantine will be provided with a medicine kit. On the seventh day, the patients will be considered Covid negative without a test, he said.
Similarly at the hospitals, the patients will be released on day five without testing if there are no serious symptoms. Such patients will be in home quarantine for the next seven days.
“We don’t want hospitalisation. You can come to a hospital but treatment will be payment-based unless you belong to BPL category or you came in a serious condition. Tele-counselling and medicines will be given for free to those in home isolation,” Sarma said.
ICU beds and hospital beds will be provided to the seriously-ill patients, he added.
Of the 2.37 crore targeted beneficiaries, 2.23 crore received the first dose. The CM said the first dose for 20 lakh children (aged 15-18 years) would be over by January.
Similarly, 1.62 crore of the 2.17 crore beneficiaries were fully vaccinated. Sarma said the “precautionary dose” would be administered on the fully vaccinated from January 10.
“We have 8,760 beds. The number of oxygen beds is 2,633. There are 1,000 ICU beds for Covid patients. We have over 2,000 ICU beds otherwise. We will create 25,000 additional hospital beds at the Covid care centres by the time infection peaks,” Sarma added.
