Principal Health Secretary reviews Andhra Pradesh Covid-19 resources

In the latest review meeting held at the Andhra Pradesh State capital Amaravathi, Principal Health Secretary, Mr. Anil Kumar Singhal IAS demanded that the first dose of corona vaccine be given to everyone in the state. He particularly asked people to stay courageous and not get afraid due to myths and rumours that are surfacing constantly. It has already been elucidated that the State Government will use its own doses for the second dose at the prescribed time for the vaccination drive.

He continued to say that both the public as well as private hospitals are taking remedial measures to tackle the oxygen deficiency. Even Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota has helped with delivering 12 tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen to the respective hospitals. Military and Naval help is also being taken to minimise the delay in the supply of oxygen.

Talking about the availability of Remdesivir, he implied that as many as 15,037 injections were available in government hospitals and 11,556 within private hospitals. More doses are subsequently being received by the state too.

The Principal Health Secretary stated that numerous healthcare workers in Andhra Pradesh are coming in to provide service to the patients via call centres. In contrast with 200 doctors registered initially, currently, 3220 doctors serve Covid-19 patients by phone. The call centres are receiving thousands of calls relating to various queries which are being attended to.

Speaking about the curfew, Mr. Singhal added that Section 144 was implemented in order to create awareness among people. He also said that Covid-19 guidelines are also being made for social gatherings, weddings, airports and railway stations. Action is also being taken on the state borders to maintain the safety of people. Banks would continue to work at a Government imposed timeline.

Besides everything, the Principal Health Secretary is also going to assess the healthcare infrastructure of the government hospitals and submit a report to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The Central Government has been sending donations that India has been receiving from other countries. The State has been directed to appoint a nodal officer against those donations. The central government has provided 4,879 remedial injections, 2,107 oxygen devices, 1,92,058 lakh rapid kits and more to Andhra Pradesh.

He asked the people to remain composed and not to panic. He assured that all the people who received the first dose of the vaccine would receive the second dose too. The AP Government would purchase 9 lakh doses and 13 lakh doses from the Central Government by the second week of May 2021.