“We now have two years’ experience in coping coronaThere is also a nationwide preparation. There should be minimum loss to the livelihood of the common people, economic activities and the pace of the economy (should) be maintained. It is very important to keep these things in mind while making any (prevention) strategy.” Modi said.
In a virtual interaction, Modi suggested the chief ministers to focus on local containment of the infection with effective surveillance and treatment in home isolation while increasing the vaccination coverage.
The comments came on the bench of businesses, both the Center and the states, to go for micro-containment strategies involving bed occupancy in hospitals as opposed to the overall case count. Economists and think tanks have also warned that economic activity, which seemed to be returning to normal, could face adverse conditions from the Omicron version.
Modi with Home Minister Amit Shah and health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, had a virtual interaction with the CMs as daily Covid-19 cases rose to less than 2.5 lakh on Wednesday, the highest in 236 days. The total active caseload in the country stood at a little less than 11.2 lakh on Thursday morning.
The PM underscored the importance of vaccination and said that it is the most powerful way to deal with COVID-19, whatever it may be. Stating that indigenously produced vaccines have proved their superiority across the globe, he said that misinformation against shots should be effectively addressed.
Noting that Omicron was spreading rapidly, the prime minister advised caution but warned against a situation that could create panic. He said, ‘We have to see that in this festive season the vigilance of the people and the administration is not reduced. The way the central and state governments adopted a pro-active, proactive and collective approach, this time too the mantra of victory.
Modi suggested that the government should be able to provide treatment in home isolation, for which guidelines should continue to evolve. At the same time, the PM also stressed on the continuous expansion of health infrastructure, for which Rs 23,000 crore was given by the Centre. He said, ‘To defeat Corona, we need to keep our preparations ahead in every way. As well as dealing with Omicron, we need to start preparing for any future editions now.”
Emphasizing the need to push vaccination, he urged states to do door-to-door jabs and also called for combating misconceptions about vaccines or wearing masks.
During the meeting, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren talked about the misconceptions in some rural and tribal areas, which are causing some difficulties in the vaccination program in the state.
The PM also urged the states to expedite the coverage of ‘precautionary doses’ (booster), which has been launched from January 10 for health and frontline workers as well as people above 60 years of age with comorbidities. “The sooner we give a precautionary dose to frontline workers and senior citizens, the stronger our healthcare system will be,” he said.
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