PM warns of another wave of Covid cases
In meeting with CMs, Modi demands quick steps, major revamps in safety protocols, and more vaccination sites to arrest surge
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday cautioned the chief ministers that if India can’t stop the second surge of Covid-19 cases now, “there might be another pan-India outbreak” of the viral disease, pointing out that 70 districts have witnessed more than 150% rise in cases that have affected small cities and towns.
In his first meeting with the CMs after India launched the Covid-19 vaccination drive in January, the PM demanded “quick and decisive steps”, major revamps in safety protocols, and more vaccination sites that will work on mission mode and scaling up of RT-PCR tests. Modi stressed the need to seriously follow the “test, track and treat” approach.
“This is also a test of good governance,” the PM told the chief ministers as India faces a new wave of Covid-19 infections.
Since the pandemic began in India in 2020, as many as 11.4 million have been infected and over 159,000 people have succumbed to the coronavirus
“Our fight against Covid-19 gives us confidence. But this should not turn into overconfidence or laxity. We have to be proactive in this phase. If we don’t stop it now, there might be another pan-India outbreak,” Modi told the virtual meeting, and mentioned how laxity has set in various areas of the country and is hampering the fight against Covid-19.
He asked for creation of micro-containment zones without any neglect, emphasised on controlling wastage of vaccines and noted that “in some places, local administration is not very strict on wearing masks”.
“These issues must be resolved. The administrators have been trained on what to do,” he said.
Modi also asked states to pay special attention to the referral system and ambulance network in small cities as the whole country has opened up for travel. States should develop a mechanism to share information to follow the standard operation procedures (SOP) for surveillance of the contacts of travellers, especially those coming from abroad, he said.
Many of the most Covid-19-affected countries have suffered from many waves, he said, and noted that some states in India have also been seeing a sudden rise in the cases after a phase of decline.
In the meeting, Union home minister Amit Shah read out a list of districts that requires special focus while health secretary Rajesh Bhushan gave a presentation on the Covid-19 situation and the vaccination strategy.
Wrapping up the meeting, the PM reiterated his vaccine as well was caution mantra and remarked, “Now, tier 2, tier 3 cities are getting affected. If this spreads to rural India, our resources might fall short to tackle such a situation.”
“The world is talking about how India has tackled Covid-19. Around 96% of people have recovered in India. But in some states, the cases have risen after showing a slump. In Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, positivity rates are suddenly increasing,” Modi said, asking for strict implementation of masks and social distance rules.
The PM, who took his vaccine dose on March 1 in AIIMS, demanded more vaccination sites that will work on mission mode as he expressed unhappiness over wastage of precious doses of vaccines.
“Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have 10% wastage of vaccines. UP has near 10% wastage. More beneficiaries should be mobilized to stop wastage.
MODI ALSO ASKED STATES TO PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE REFERRAL SYSTEM AND AMBULANCE NETWORK IN SMALL CITIES AS THE WHOLE COUNTRY HAS OPENED UP FOR TRAVEL.
States must target zero wastage of vaccines,” Modi said, suggesting daily monitoring of vaccine usage.
“If more centres can work on a mission mode, we will reduce wastage of vaccines. Also, keep in mind the expiry date of the vaccine. Use the earlier batches first to avoid wastage,” Modi said, even as he hailed how 3 million people were vaccinated on a single day.
Some chief ministers, including from West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, did not attend the meeting, officials aware of the development said.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray sought approval for starting more vaccination centres to expedite inoculation in the state and demanded that Mumbai-based Haffkine Institute be allowed to produce the Covid-19 vaccine, according to an official statement.
The PM promptly said institutes in all states which can produce the vaccine will be encouraged, according to the statement.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma reaffirmed the need for adhering to Covid-19 safety protocols during a virtual interaction.
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani assured PM Modi that his state would double the number of people being vaccinated per day. An official release said Rupani told the PM that the state’s machinery was fully prepared to control the spread of the virus with “concrete steps and intensive vaccination drive”.