Vijayawada: Costly antiviral drugs ready for Coronavirus patients

Vijayawada: Information and public relations (I&PR) commissioner T Vijay Kumar Reddy said on Wednesday that costly antiviral drugs like Remdesivir, Tolicizumab have been made available in the government hospitals in large quantities to effectively minimise the death rate due to the Covid19. So far 5,000 doses of Remdesivir was sent to various hospitals and by the end of August 90,000 doses of Remdesivir would be purchased, he said.

The commissioner said that the state was leading in the country in conducting Covid-19 tests at the rate of 32,761 tests per day per million on an average as against the national average of 12,498 tests.

He said that the state achieved the distinction of setting up 78 viral testing labs in a short span.

"The Covid-19 patients are treated in Covid hospitals in all the districts by providing them with the most modern medical treatment and they are also provided good food spending Rs 500 per person per day," he said.

The government was spending Rs 350 crore per month on Covid tests and the Covid treatment was brought under Aarogyasri for the first time in the country.

The recovered patients are being given Rs 2,000 when they are discharged and in case of unfortunate death, the family members are paid Rs 15,000 for funeral expenses.

The government is filling up the 9,712 posts of medical personnel by August. He said that the government had undertaken a number of welfare measures to give relief to all sections of people at the time of Covid pandemic.