Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday reviewed the COVID-19 situation focusing on child healthcare in the 3rd wave and expressed happiness as the daily infection cases continue to dip in the state.
At the high-level meeting, held over video conference, the Odisha CM directed to increase daily vaccination numbers to 3 lakh in the state. The CM also directed officials to be prepared for the Black Fungus or Mucormycosis.
“We are yet to get relief from the second wave of the deadly virus as the number of deaths are still increasing day by day. We have to follow COVID guidelines to avoid infection. The lockdown is currently underway in the state but the government will decide the unlocking process in districts where the rate of infection is declining,” Patnaik said.
Chief Minister expressed hope that the overall COVID-19 situation in Odisha will improve further in the coming weeks.
It was revealed during the meeting that the load on ICU and High Dependency Units is reducing in Odisha. Similarly, the consumption of medical oxygen has also dropped.
Informing about the current situation of the health sectors of the state, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) PK Mohapatra has directed 1,114 more doctors to undergo training to deal with the pandemic.
“At present, 86 per cent of the patients in the state are being treated at home, while 68 per cent of the beds in the hospital are vacant. The state has all the necessary medicines and the supply of medical oxygen. A total of 3,000 general beds, 2,390 Isolation beds, and 610 ICU beds are ready for the third wave. The fourth serosurvey will be launched in Ganjam, Koraput, and Rayagada districts from mid-June to collect special information about children,” Mohapatra said.
While reviewing the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the state, the CM also inquired about the current situation with the Collectors of Rayagada, Jajpur, Puri, and Jagatsinghpur districts as well as Commissioners of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack Municipal Corporations, who are now apparently at the highest rate of infection.
