Panaji, Jan 7 (IANS): On a day when new Covid cases shot up by more than 500, taking the state's Friday tally to 1,432, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said that Goa is "comfortable" vis a vis handling of third wave of the pandemic.
He also said that hospitalisation of Covid patients was at the minimal at the present stage, while adding that the state government was "watching the situation every day".
"Most people are being treated at home and not being hospitalised. Omicron is all over the country. Whether you call it indegenous spread or somebody coming from outside, it does not matter because it isalready here. All the protocols are there for the various stages. We are comfortable at this stage," Rane told a press conference.
On whether the state government would initiate a lockdown in view of the rising cases, Rane said: "When you take a decision, you have to take an overall decision. You have to look at many things. When you look at the situation, hospitalisation is minimal. We find the people taking treatment at home."
"We are watching the situation every day. We will not allow it to go out of hand," the Health Minister also said.
A total of 1,432 new infections were reported in Goa on Friday, taking the state's total count of active cases to 5,931.