VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said 320-340 MT of liquid oxygen is being supplied to hospitals a day on an average and it is sufficient for requirements of the State now. Taking stock of Covid-19 situation in the State at a review meeting on Tuesday, he said oxygen should be provided to those whose oxygen saturation level is below 94 points.
Underlining the need to reduce oxygen wastage, he directed officials to carry out an oxygen audit in all hospitals so that Covid patients who really need oxygen can get it without any problem. Jagan reiterated that vaccination of all the population at the earliest is the only solution to combat the pandemic effectively. At present, seven crore doses of vaccine is being produced in the country per month. Of the total, one crore doses are Covaxin and the rest Covishield.
“As many as 11.30 lakh people above 45 years of age have been administered two shots of vaccine in the State so far, while 45.48 lakh people have taken the first dose. All the people in the age group of 18-45 in the State will be vaccinated free of cost,” the Chief Minister said.
Jagan, however, said besides vaccination, it is imperative for everyone to follow Covid Appropriate Behaviour like maintaining physical distance, wearing mask and using sanitiser to curb the spread of virus. Reiterating that lockdown is not an effective solution to the pandemic as it had severely affected the State’s economy during the first wave, he wanted District Collectors and senior officials to focus on containing the spread of virus without imposing it again. He pointed out that the State incurred a loss of Rs 20,000 crore due to the Covid induced lockdown last year, while people suffered a loss of Rs 80,000 crore.
Emphasising the need to make 104 call centres a one stop solution for Covid related problems, he directed the Collectors to ensure that they function more efficiently. “A caller seeking medical help from the call centre should be properly guided. After analysing his situation, he should be advised as to whether to go for home isolation, Covid care centre or hospital. It should not take more than three hours to provide a bed after receiving a call,” he said.
On availability of beds, he said there are 28,377 beds in 355 Covid hospitals in the State. Of the total, 17,901 beds have been occupied. Treatment and medicines in these hospitals are totally free. The Chief Minister further directed the officials to ensure that Covid care centres in all the districts function effectively. At present, there are 59 Covid care centres in 13 districts with a bed strength of 33,327. The Collectors should monitor the functioning of the centres on a daily basis and ensure that patients do not face any inconvenience.
An official bulletin on Covid will be released every day and everyone should use the same data, he said. Taking note of increasing pressure on existing staff, Jagan directed the officials to conduct walk-in interviews to fill vacancies in the health dep a r t m e n t a n d complete the recruitment in 48 hours. The Collectors and SPs were instructed to act tough against rumour mongers spreading false news and distorted facts as they are empowered to arrest such mischievous people.