VIJAYAWADA: The Covid positivity rate in Krishna district has come down to 14 per cent from 21 per cent reported in the beginning of the third wave of the pandemic.Even as this came as a good news for the district administration and the need for hospitalisation in the current wave are less, the Krishna district administration is all geared to tackle any eventuality. The administration has made arrangements to tackle the pandemic.
Speaking to mediapersons, Collector J Nivas said, “We have set up a mechanism at village and ward-level, hospitals and Covid Care Centres (CCCs). At the village-level, we are identifying symptomatic persons. A fever survey is underway and will be completed by the end of this week. All the persons with the symptoms are being given home isolation kits. Once the person with symptoms is identified, if he/she requires medical care they are being shifted to the CCCs.’’ Around 1,800 beds have been arranged in 16 Assembly segments in the district. When it comes to Vijayawada, a Covid Care Centre has been set up with 500 beds at Gudavalli. Steps are being taken to arrange a CCC with 600 beds at JNNURM houses, Vambay Colony in Vijayawada, he said, adding that oxygen concentrators are also made available at all the CCCs.
Referring to the sample testing, he said on an average 3,000 people are being tested each day in the district. Giving details on the district administration’s efforts to combat the virus, he said nine hospitals in the district have advanced Oxygen facilities. Nivas said the government has set up oxygen plants with 9,007 LPM capacity in the district. “If there are any serious cases, the patients are being shifted to government hospitals after proper triage. In private hospitals too, patients are being treated under Aarogyasri. For effective handling of the cases, we have created a bed capacity of 6,838, an increase of more than 2,000 beds when compared with the second wave. ICU beds were also increased by 500 and it includes a 100-bed exclusive paediatric ward,’’ he said.
Nivas said an adequate number of doctors and medical staff are being recruited on a priority basis. When it comes to vaccination, the district has completed 100 per cent vaccination of the persons above 18 years and 92.75 per cent of the people were administered with the second dose. With respect to the 15 to 18 year group, 100 per cent vaccination has been completed. While precautionary doses were administered to 60 per cent of beneficiaries, he said.