More offers of oxygen pour in amid rising cases
Active cases cross 3lakh mark with state recording 33,574 new cases and 249 more deaths; recoveries show upward trend
LUCKNOW : Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday called for doubling the health resources to fight Covid-19 while reiterating that oxygen supply to the state was being augmented from various sources. His assertion came even while the number of active cases under treatment crossed the three-lakh mark with the state recording 33,574 new cases and 249 more deaths, which was the highest single-day fatality count in Uttar Pradesh.
At the same time, the total recoveries showed an upward trend, going past the eight-lakh mark with 26,719 more patients being discharged in the last 24 hours statewide, according to official data.
The state’s total Covid-19 caseload stands at 11,20,176 now.
Dwelling on more help on the oxygen front, the chief minister said the Tata and Reliance groups had offered to supply oxygen to UP.
The officers concerned should negotiate with them to speed up the process of supply, he said at the Covid review meeting he held virtually with officials.
He also asked for increasing the number of oxygen tankers and seeking help from the central government.
He also told the officials to keep a close watch on all Covid-19 hospitals in the state and immediately provide them with oxygen as and when they required it.
The chief minister once again noted that oxygen supply was being augmented daily with supplies from Roorkee and Kashipur (Uttarakhand), Modinagar (UP), Bokaro (Jharkhand) and the state’s MSME units.
He warned the officers concerned that once the Integrated Covid Command and Control Centre (ICCCC) allotted a hospital to Covid positive patients, it must be ensured that they find admissions in those hospitals, or else the officers will be held responsible and face action.
“Considering the intense transmission rate of the virus this time, there is a need to increase the health resources for Covid-19 at least by double. The health department and the medical education department should prepare a work plan for increasing beds. Now, two more CHCs (community health centres) each should be added to the Covid management list in each district,” he said.
Since OPDs (outpatient departments) were closed in hospitals, it was necessary to promote online consultation, publicise the lists of doctors for Covid and non-Covid consultation for the convenience of the people, he added.
The chief minister asked the state health minister to monitor the supply of Covid medicine kits to home isolation patients across the state. All Covid patients in home isolation must get the kit containing medicines for at least one week, he said.
“Through the CM helpline, the administration must keep in touch with the home isolation patients to track their condition,” he said.
He also said many Covid recovered patients wanted to extend a helping hand.
“So, encourage such people to come forward, make a list of them. There could be doctors, paramedics etc. Rope them in, they could be deployed at hospitals,” he said.
He reiterated that there was no shortage of Remdesivir and other such Covid-19 drugs. Since the state was getting their supply every day, they should be provided free of cost to patients in government hospitals and at concessional rates in private hospitals, he said.
Talking about vaccination, he said so far 97,83,416 people had got the first dose of the Covid vaccine and more than 20 lakh had been given both doses. Thus, a total of 1,17,83,880 doses had been administered in the state. “Prepare well for the vaccination drive that is scheduled to begin from May 1,” he said to the officers concerned.
Apart from publicising the Covid safety protocols, health specialists should be engaged in spreading awareness about foods that boost immunity and techniques to increase the oxygen level in blood, the chief minister said.