PM Narendra Modi chairs high-level meeting on Covid situation

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Friday on the Covid situation and vaccination and took note of the high caseloads in states like Kerala and Maharashtra to say that there can be no room for complacency.

Modi reviewed the status of increasing the beds pediatric care and of facilities supported under “COVID Emergency Response Package II”. It was noted that states have been advised to redesign and orient primary care and block level health infrastructure in these areas to manage the situation in rural areas, a statement said.

The statement also said the states are being asked to maintain a buffer stock for drugs used in management of COVID-19 and mucormycosis at the district level, it added.

“It was discussed that across the world, there are countries where the number of active Covid cases continues to remain high. In India too, the figures from states like Maharashtra and Kerala indicate that there can be no room for complacency,” the statement said.

Positivity rate down

But the weekly positivity was at less than 3% for the 10th consecutive week, it added.

The prime minister stressed on the need to quickly improve the ecosystem to ensure increased oxygen availability, including oxygen concentrators, cylinders and PSA plants.

Efforts are also on to install 961 liquid medical oxygen storage tanks and 1,450 medical gas pipeline systems with an aim to support at least one such unit per district, the government said.

Modi also reviewed the status of PSA oxygen plants coming up across the country and said around one lakh oxygen concentrators and three lakh oxygen cylinders have been distributed to states.

On vaccines, the statement said around 58% of India’s adult population has been vaccinated with the first dose and about 18% with both doses.

Modi spoke about the need for constant genome sequencing to monitor emergence of mutants. He was informed that INSACOG (SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortium) now consists of 28 labs distributed across the country.