ANDAMAN SHEEKHA

The True Mirror of A & N Islands

Spike in Covid19 cases in Little Andaman; District Administration sets up two COVID Care Centres

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Port Blair, Sept 25: The District Administration is taking various proactive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in inter islands. As part of the same to take first hand stock of the ground situation, the Deputy Commissioner (SA) , Mr. Suneel Anchipaka alongwith the SOM (SA) and the AC (U /T) had visited the Little Andaman Island on 23.09.2020 to make necessary arrangements regarding setting up of COVID Care Centres and to ensure preparedness in the fight against COVID-19.
Mr. Vinay Kumar Jindal, Assistant Commissioner (HQ) has been designated as Special Officer to oversee and monitor the situation in Little Andaman.
As per the decisions taken during the visit of DC(SA) to Little Andaman, two COVID Care Centres have been set up, one at Hut Bay and the other one at Ramakrishnapur with 60 bedded capacity.
More numbers of portable beds with mattresses, bedsheets, pillow and pillow covers are being sent from Port Blair for improving the facilities in the Centres. Staffs have been deputed for sanitation and sanitization of the Centres. Additional toilets and other facilities are being set up on war footing at the two Centres to meet the immediate requirement.
Additional medical team is being deputed from Port Blair to Hut Bay to augment medical staff capacity. Medical kits have been provided for the people with ILI and SARI symptoms. Testing of primary contacts and cases with symptoms of the COVID positive cases are being done.
The entire area of Hut Bay, Ramakrishnapur and Harminder Bay (Part) has been declared as Containment Zones to minimize mobility and further to contain the spread of the pandemic. The general public is advised to strictly follow the two GOLDEN PRINCIPLES of COVID- 19: (1) Wear masks properly (2) Maintain social distancing/Do gaz ki doori.

100-150 patients suffering from different ailments waiting for Surgery: MP

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Port Blair, Sept 25: Mr. Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Member of Parliament, A&N Islands has requested the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Health), A&N Administration to resume functioning of Operation Theatre (OT) at GB Pant Hospital for conducting operations for patients suffering from various ailments since the functioning of operation theatre (OT) has been temporarily stopped (except for emergency and delivery cases).
He informed that due to stoppage of functioning of Operation Theatre (OT) temporarily in the GB Pant Hospital since last one month (except for emergency and delivery cases), the dates fixed for surgery by the concerned surgeons could not conducted. As of now, more than 100-150 patients suffering from different ailments like Piles, Fistula, fissure, hydrocele, stone in gallbladder etc are waiting for undergoing surgery as per advise of the treating doctors due to the facts that except the lone Govt. GB Pant Hospital in Port Blair, no private hospitals equipped with medical facilities are available in these Islands for major surgery. Hence, the MP requested to resume functioning of operation theatre (OT) at GB Pant Hospital, Port Blair to conduct operations for all the required patients.

Serious COVID19 patient from Campbell Bay Evacuated

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Rahul Singh & Vikramaditya

Campbell Bay, Aug 23: A serious COVID19 patient of Campbell Bay area was evacuated to Port Blair today by a Coast Guard helicopter, after his conditions deteriorated despite oxygen support since yesterday night.

As per report the patient is a medical staff of PHC Campbell Bay and had got infection recently and when reported breathing problems, he was brought to Sainik Saray of Campbell Bay and given Oxygen Support yesterday night.

Today morning he reportedly complained more breathing problems after which the doctors consulted the doctors of Port Blair and after efforts of AC Great Nicobar Helicopter support reached for the patient.

The patient along with his wife and a medical staff were brought to Port Blair this evening and later the patient was admitted in Isolation Ward of G B Pant Hospital.

 

Covid-19 infection reaches Kadamtala Region

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Trinath
Billyground, August 23: The COVID19 infection has now reached Kadamtala region too.
It is reported from sources that a 65 years old resident hailing from Brahmbali village, Kadamtala yesterday tested positive of Covid-19.
Sources said that his contact tracing is yet under process. As a precautionary measure, the Kadamtala Market Committee and PRI’s have unanimously decided for the closure of all shops in the region for 5 days from today to control the spread of Covid-19.
Mr. Tirango Dhali a local political figure, informed that on account of the present positive case, some families have been asked to remain quarantine.

Six members of Great Andamanese Tribe Test Positive in Andaman, four admitted in Hospital

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Port Blair, Aug 22:  In a shocking development six members of Great Andamanese Tribes were tested positive in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, raising eyebrows over the safety of the primitive tribal community.

However, one member of the Great Andamanese Tribes has already been tested negative, leaving only five presently active.

Presently other than six tribal members, two other non-tribal family members of actual tribal people, were also tested positive, sources told Andaman Sheekha.

The Great Andamanese are indigenous people of the Andaman Group of Islands. At present there are about 56 members of Great Andamanese Tribes alive and are living in the Andaman Islands other than these, there are nearly 18 other family members who are non-Tribals.

As per details on 8 August 2020, 35 members of Great Andamanese Tribes were tested for COVID19 out of which four people were tested positive.

Among these four, one person is a non-tribal family member while three were Great Andamanese Tribes. Out of these three people one tested negative recently while two are still admitted in COVID19 Isolation Ward of G B Pant Hospital.

Meanwhile on 20 August 2020 again RTPCR, Covid19 tests were conducted on 36 members of Great Andamanese Tribes out of which again four people were tested positive out of which three are Tribals while another one is Non-Tribal family member.

At present these three members of Great Andamanese Tribes and two others, who were tested positive in the 8 August test are active COVID19 Positive.

Out of a total of five members of Great Andamanese Tribes, four people are admitted in the COVID19 ward of G B Pant Hospital in Port Blair while one member is in home isolation, an officer of Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samity (AAJVS) told Andaman Sheekha,on the condition of anonymity.

According to the officer, considering the safety of Great Andamanese Tribes, other than the active cases, all other members of the Great Andamanese Tribal Community who were living in Port Blair have been sent back to Strait Island, which is earmarked for only Great Andamanese Tribes.

“Our men are on high alert and have kept dinghies and boats already to evacuate anyone from Strait Island, in case anyone develops any symptoms of COVID19 or any other emergency,” the officer added.

Sources said that RTPCR tests were conducted on members of Great Andamanese Tribes on 8 and 20 August 2020, because before sending all Tribal people to Strait Island for safety, it is mandatory to conduct the test.

“This virus does not know who and what a person is. Now we are trying our best to ensure no tribal succumbs to death. We are trying everything to save them,” the officer of AAJVS added.

 

Flight passengers roam freely however Quarantine recommended for ship passengers

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Vikramaditya

Port Blair, June 02: Today around 87 standard people reached Port Blair from Chennai in MV Nicobar Ship after arrival the passengers were screen at the Port and then they were sent to quarantine facilities by the Andaman Nicobar Health Department.

When asked that why the flight passengers were not sent to quarantine but the ship passengers sent to quarantine facilities, the Nodal Officer of covid-19 in Andaman and Nicobar Island, Dr. Avijit Roy said that three days journey in ship causes much more exposure than in the flight journey and this is the reason why the administration has decided to send ship passengers to quarentine facilities today.

Some crew members of the ship and 83 passengers were also tested for Covid-19 while four passengers, which includes two patients and two attainders could not be tested for Covid-19 because they were directly sent to hospital in Ambulance from the ship, Dr. Ray added.

COVID19: A & N Islands & Mizoram record highest recovery rate of 100 per cent

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Staff Correspondent

Port Blair, June 01: Covid-19 cases have crossed 1 lakh 90 thousand mark in India. But there is a silver lining that the overall recovery rate has reached 47.40 in the country.

On 25th March, when the lock down was enforced across the India, 43 people affected with corona virus were cured from Corona virus which was seven per cent of the total six hundred six cases. Health and Family Welfare Ministry data reveals that in different phases of lockdown, recovery rate has improved continuously.

In the first phase of lockdown, the recovery rate reached to 11.42 percent and in the second phase it crossed the 27 per cent mark. During the third phase of lockdown which ended on 18th May, the figure of recovery rate reached to 38.29 per cent. At present, the highest recovery rate of 100 per cent has been recorded in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and in Mizoram.

There are 17 States and Union Territories including Punjab, Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Ladakh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, which are above the national recovery rate of 47.40 per cent.

Patients of Billyground made to stand in long queue under scorching sun; Power outrage and mosquitoes add to woes

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Trinath & Sarthak Kanjilal

Port Blair, May 28: Going for treatment has now become an arduous task for the residents of Billyground area. As per reports, to maintain proper social distancing the authorities of Primary Health Center Billyground are not allowing the patients inside the hospital and are asking the patients to wait outside the hospital in the open before their turn comes.

Even the Doctors are learned to be sitting in the corridor to entertain the visiting patients. “I am already suffering from fever and body pain, making us stand outside under scorching hot sun is like a punishment,” said a patient, who does not want his name to be quoted.

Andaman Sheekha got photographs of long queue of patients standing in open outside the hospital.

When Andaman Sheekha contacted sources in the PHC Billyground, on the condition of anonymity they said that in the old PHC building they do not have sufficient space and it won’t be possible for them or for the patients to maintain required social distancing inside the hospital.

“Once the already constructed new OPD is handed over to the PHC, there won’t be such problems as the new building has sufficient space for maintaining distancing,” the source added.

The problem in the PHC is not just with the visiting patients, several admitted patients in the hospital told Andaman Sheekha that due to frequent power outages they are facing tremendous problems and growing menace of mosquitoes is another problem.

When Andaman Sheekha went into the depth of the issue it was learned that the Generator set of the hospital is under repair and hence it is giving horrible times to both the staffs and the patients in the hospital.

Hopefully, the higher authorities of the DHS will interfere into this matter and sort out the problems of the patients at the earliest.

Six Chennai Passengers with high fever put in Institutional Quarantine

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Vikramaditya

Port Blair, May 28: Six passengers, who reached today from Chennai with high fever, were put in Institutional Quarantine by Andaman’s Health Department. According to details, while screening at Port Blair airport all these six passengers, mostly students, who originally hail from Port Blair, were found to be travelling with high fever. As a precautionary measure they were shifted to Institutional Quarantine. Tomorrow they will be tested for COVID19.  Further details are awaited.

Andaman’s both COVID19 positive patients at Chennai doing well; Administration in constant Touch

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Amit Halder & Vikramaditya

Port Blair, May 14: Two ladies from Andaman, who were tested COVID19 positive in Chennai recently, during their halt, are reportedly doing well and the local Administration is in constant touch with them.

As per sources both the patients, mother and daughter (a cancer patient), have been admitted in two different hospitals, which had initially created some confusions and panic among family members of the patients, living in Rangat, as the elderly lady was unable to communicate properly with hospital authority of Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital Chennai.

According to younger daughter of the family at Rangat, later when the matter was taken up by some local youths in social media, the local Administration came for help and coordinated the matter professionally. According to her she got calls from Senior Officers of Administration and a few Doctors in Andaman who are coordinating between the family and patients.

“I got call from my mother for a few minutes today. She said she is good and getting food but she lost her bag, containing crucial belongings, somewhere in Hospital. She is in bed number 125 of Room Number 562. She is having some pain in eye. My sister in other hospital is also doing well,” she added. The younger daughter thanked all officials, doctors and other youths of Andaman who are helping the family in this difficult time.

Dr Manabika Dutta, Mr. Abhay Kumar, (President LOTE), Mr. Vaibhav Singh (Andaman youth in New Delhi) and Mr. Abhi Bhushan Ghosh (Andaman youth in Chennai) and many others worked really hard to ensure a line of communication between the patients and the family members.