Vijayawada: When the whole country comes to a grinding halt due to the deadly virus, Andhra Pradesh has entangled in a severe healthcare crisis due to Covid-19 and Black Fungus. The fungal infection has been on a daunting high in the state with over 1,700 cases as of Tuesday. This happens at a time the state faces a severe crisis for Amphotericin B vials, the medicine used to treat black fungus.
With a rise in cases, the health officials in the state are also seeking to increase bed strength in the state to be able to accommodate black fungus patients. Meanwhile, the state government has reported that there is an acute crisis for fungal injection Amphotericin B. According to the Times of India, of the 13,105 vials allocated to the state, only over 7,000 were released by the Centre.
As many as 12 vials of Amphotericin B should be injected to initiate the treatment for a fungal-infected patient and one each for the next 14 days should be given for better results.
The Health and Family Welfare Principal Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, Anil Kumar Singhal, said that the state government has ordered 91,650 vials of Amphotericin B to make sure there is no shortage.
Amid, black fungus attack in the state, there has been a rise in Covid-19 in children, which is otherwise called a presumed third wave in the country. Only in the last two weeks in May, around 24,000 children below the age of 18 have tested positive for Covid-19.