Bhubaneswar, Jul 14 (IANS): With the rising COVID-19 cases, the Odisha government on Tuesday declared to start plasma therapy at three dedicated hospitals in the state from Wednesday.

The treatment will start at SUM Hospital and KIMS in Bhubaneswar and Ashwini Hospital in Cuttack. SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack has been designated as the nodal centre of plasma therapy.

The decision to begin the treatment was taken during a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here on Tuesday.

Plasma therapy has been helpful in reducing the mortality rate in other states, informed Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Pradipta Mohapatra.

While the recovery rate at the national level is 63 per cent, it is 64.88 per cent in Odisha. The fatality rate is 0.5 per cent in Odisha against 2.6 per cent at the national level.

Patnaik also directed to augment the testing facilities and ensure adequate availability of ambulances for the emergency needs of the patients.

The government has decided to ramp up the COVID tests to 9,000 per day within a week from the current level of 7,000 tests a day.

Guidelines will be issued so that people can avail testing facilities in private hospitals.

Mohapatra informed more private hospitals in the state will be given permission to conduct the COVID test for the benefit of the people.

In the meeting, the officials have been asked to give focus on containing the spread of the virus in worst-affected Ganjam, Cuttack, Jajpur, Sundergarh and Khurda districts on a priority basis.

DGP Abhay informed the police have registered 6,919 cases and collected Rs 4.5 crore for violating mandatory mask-wearing norms and Rs 63 lakh for violating social distancing norms.