VIJAYAWADA: Chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday told officials to get ready to face the challenge from the impending third wave of Covid-19.
He asked them to spruce up hospitals and the health department to handle a possible third wave. He also told them to use their experience from handling the first two waves.
The chief minister reviewed the Covid-19 situation with officials at his Tadepalli camp office and asked them to speed up the vaccination drive besides strictly implementing Covid-19 guidelines. Officials were told to activate the drug control department to keep an eye on the spread of spurious drugs in the market.
Officials told the chief minister that 20,464 oxygen concentrators and 27,311 oxygen cylinders are readily available in the state. They added 104 oxygen plants would be ready by the end of August and 16 more by the second week of September.
On the vaccination front, officials told the chief minister that 1,82,00,284 persons have been administered the vaccine, of which 66,01,563 have been given two doses. The chief minister told officials to ensure that village and ward volunteers are engaged in identifying suspected cases of Covid-19 infection through door-to-door visits. He also told them to use the services of volunteers in identifying other ailments and provide treatment.
The chief minister also directed officials to complete hospital renovation works under the Nadu-Nedu programme. On new recruitments, the chief minister asked officials to complete the process without further delay. He wanted officials to fill all vacancies and new posts, right from the village clinic and primary health centre to the teaching hospital.
The chief minister reviewed the progress of construction work for 16 new government medical colleges and teaching hospitals and asked officials to complete the work on priority.
