AP: Dr KS Jawahar Reddy to head Covid Command and Control Centre

The Andhra Pradesh State Government has appointed Dr. KS Jawahar Reddy as the Chairman of the AP Covid Command and Control Centre. He has been asked to take charge immediately. The order for his appointment to the position of Chairman was issued by the State Chief Secretary Adityanath Das on Monday.

In view of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases statewide, the State Government recently reinstated the Covid Command and Control Centre, which has been tasked with managing the Covid-19 situation and accelerating the vaccination drives. They have again called upon Dr. Reddy, considering his excellent work tackling the first wave of Covid-19 last year.

Last year, after wrestling back control and ending the first outbreak, the AP Covid Command and Control Centre had been decommissioned. Dr. Reddy had then been assigned as the Executive Officer (EO) at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the designation he has held since. Dr. KS Jawahar Reddy has also served as AP Heath Secretary before.

The AP State Government has also added a Group of Ministers (GoM), to oversee the workings of the Dr. KS Jawahar Reddy-led Covid Command and Control Centre. This GoM will consist of Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharitha, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Botcha Satyanarayana, Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy and Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu. Deputy Chief Minister (Health) of Andhra Pradesh Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas will act as the Convener of the GoM.

Despite the ongoing vaccination drive in the state, the Covid-19 cases are rapidly increasing with the onset of the second wave, as 5963 new cases were reported in the state on Monday.

Everyone’s advised to avoid going out and if they absolutely have to, kindly wear a face mask at all times.