New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday warned the states that the containment of COVID-19 could be derailed if protocols were not followed.
According to a health ministry statement, he called upon 19 states to speed up vaccination so that India can achieve the milestone of delivering 100 crore vaccine doses in the next few days.
Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya interacted with Principal Secretaries and Mission Directors (National Health Mission) of the states and reviewed their progress on COVID-19 vaccination, informed the Health Ministry.
The states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal participated. meeting.
Dr Mansukh Mandaviya stressed that the immediate milestone in India’s COVID-19 vaccination journey is to complete the administration of 100 crore doses, with 94 crore vaccine doses administered so far.
He said that festivals which are usually synonymous with auspiciousness, joy and large gatherings can derail the containment of the pandemic if not done as per the COVID protocol.
According to the health ministry statement, he said, “the two-pronged solution is to strictly follow the COVID protocol and expedite the vaccination.”
The Health Minister cited the results of experiments showing that the number of those who received the first dose, who did not develop severe COVID-19, was 96 per cent and further pointed out that this number was approximately Increases to 98 percent of those who took both doses of the vaccine.
Noting that more than 8 crore doses are available with the states, he inquired about the specific hurdles that the states may face in speeding up the vaccination.
States such as Uttar Pradesh cited relatively limited supplies of Covaxin and its short duration between doses as a blocking factor.
COVID guidelines amid festive season
Union Health Secretary Shri Rajesh Bhushan urged all the state health administrators to be strict in ensuring proper behavior during festivals to prevent the outbreak of COVID-19.
The following guidelines have been issued to the States and reiterated in the meeting:
- No mass gathering in areas marked as containment zones and districts reporting more than 5 percent positivity.
- In districts with a positivity rate of 5 per cent and less, assembly will be allowed with advance permission and limited number of people (as per local context).
- Relaxations and restrictions will be imposed on the basis of weekly case positivity.
- States will closely monitor case trajectories in all districts to identify any early warning signs and accordingly ensure adherence to restrictions and COVID appropriate behaviour.
- People should be strongly discouraged from physical visits and social interactions.
- Provision of “online darshan” and virtual gatherings to be encouraged.
- All rituals like effigy burning, Durga Puja pandal, Dandiya, Garba and Chhath Puja should be symbolic.
- Regulation of the number of people allowed to participate in meetings/processions.
- Use of separate entry and exit points and common prayer mats at places of worship, “Prasad”, sprinkling of holy water etc. should be avoided.
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