By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Director of Public Health Dr G Srinivasa Rao stated on Saturday that the Covid-19 numbers will witness a decline by August-end. As for those across Telangana, the decline will be seen by September-end.

Speaking at a press conference here, Dr Srinivasa Rao said, “The decline in GHMC limits is already happening which is why the daily caseload has fallen to 500-400 cases, which is almost two-three times less than what GHMC once had. We urge citizens to help us and follow physical distancing norms and also place their trust in government hospitals for treatment”.

Attributing the spike in districts to increased testing, Dr Ramesh Reddy, Director of Medical Education (DME) said, “There is no need to panic over the slight rise in cases. As testing has been decentralised to the local PHC-level across the State, more people are getting tested and cases are getting detected at an early stage,” he said.

To tackle these cases, they said three-fourth of all beds in the State were being converted into oxygen beds. Certain studies by think tanks ASCI and FICCI have also maintained that if the State doesn’t amp up its Covid beds, the crisis would be difficult to manage. “Our attempt is to have a standardised treatment plan for Covid across the State, wherein a basic treatment can be availed at the PHC level and then a referral can be given to the area hospital. Only major cases will be referred to Gandhi, King Koti and TIMS Hospitals. District teaching hospitals can focus on other major illnesses,” said Dr Reddy.

For this to materialise, the government is providing PPE kits and oxygen cylinders at the PHC level. The officials said of the `100 crore allocated for the second time during the pandemic, a major part would be used to equip district hospitals and PHCs with infrastructure such as oxygen cylinders and tanks, and, drugs such as Favipiravir and Remdesivir. “Our focus is not on adding ventilators in large numbers but on having enough oxygen lines. We urge citizens to get themselves tested at the earliest as several seasonal flu symptoms are similar to that of Covid,” Dr Srinivasa Rao added.