Vijayawada: Officials gear up to deal with Coivid 3rd wave

Vijayawada: Stating that there is a possibility of children getting affected in the third wave in the State, Special Chief Secretary of Social Welfare department K Praveen Kumar called upon the officials to fully gear up to face the third wave of pandemic and contain the cases.

Praveen Kumar along with Krishna district Collector J Nivas conducted Covid management meeting with the officials at the Collector's camp office here on Thursday.

He reviewed the Covid tests being conducted in the district, lab testing, functioning of Covid Care Centres, maintenance of 104 and 108 vehicles and Triage centres, home isolation and medical services to the Covid patients.

Praveen Kumar said nearly 90 per cent infrastructure facilities were completed in the district to treat the Covid patients and to face the Covid pandemic. He said the ambulance drivers, technicians, doctors, nurses and all other staff related to Covid treatment have played significant role in the fight against the Covid in the State. He said the huge number of deaths in the second wave was not predicted. He said the government had successfully faced the first wave and the government machinery had also worked effortlessly to face the Covid in the second wave.

District Collector J Nivas, addressing the officials, stressed on the need to increase the Covid tests per day from 6,000 to 8,000. He suggested to get the Covid lab reports within 24 hours. He said the samples should be sent to the labs within 12 hours of collection and added that adequate number of vehicles will be allotted for the speedy transportation of samples to the labs. He said nod was given to appoint the lab technicians and to increase the lab machines to conduct the tests.

He asked the mandal-level officials to take measures to send the Covid patients above 50 years of age from home isolation to the Covid care centres to get the treatment. He said 44 de-notified hospitals are treating the Covid patients in the districts.

Joint collector and nodal officer L Sivasankar, Nuzvid Sub-Collector Pratishta Mangain, officials from Revenue, Police, Medical and Health, Arogyasri, SC Corporation and VMC attended the meeting.