VIJAYAWADA: Chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has said he would write a letter to the central government, seeking to reduce the gap for administering the precautionary dose from the existing nine months to six months.
Speaking to the officials during the review meeting on Covid-19 at his Tadepalli camp office on Monday, the chief minister said he would suggest to the central government to look into the possibilities of reducing the gap for precautionary dose to three to four months so that it would benefit frontline workers. This would also benefit those who are providing emergency services.
The chief minister directed the officials to focus on increasing vaccination in East Godavari, Guntur, YSR Kadapa, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts, which were found to have the lowest rates of second dose vaccination. He said there has been 100 per cent vaccination in the age group of 15-18 years in Nellore and West Godavari, while it is 90 per cent in five other districts and 80 per cent in four other districts.
The chief minister directed the officials to set up large hoardings in village/ward clinics and government hospitals displaying details of the Aarogyasri scheme. He said village clinics should be referral points for the Aarogyasri scheme, with information on available treatment locations. The chief minister reviewed the standard operating procedures (SOPs) prepared for patient referral system under Aarogyasri and also those related to Aarogyamitras in network hospitals, village/ward secretariats, PHCs and medical officers for 104 and 108 services.
The chief minister instructed the officials to focus on using artificial intelligence (AI) to make health services more efficient and affordable. He wanted auxiliary nurse midwives to follow up on the condition of patients after they were discharged from network hospitals.
The chief minister said the 104 call centre should work efficiently and added that necessary steps be taken to ensure treatment through telemedicine to the callers of 104 services.
Officials informed the chief minister that they are ready to face any kind of situation in the wake of increase in Covid-19 cases and said they have prepared more beds for treating patients, compared to the second wave. They added they have arranged 53,184 beds across the state. "Only 1,100 people are hospitalised out of 27,000 active cases and only 600 of them are on oxygen support," they said.
The chief minister instructed the officials to make arrangements for availability of oxygen and medicines. Officials said patients used to take 14 days to get discharged earlier while it is only seven days at present. They said the state government has set up one Covid care centre in each constituency and arranged 28,000 beds in them.
The officials said the new ICMR guidelines state not conducting Covid-19 tests on people who do not show symptoms and conducting tests on high risk persons who are contacts of Covid-19 patients.
