Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure sufficient availability of COVID-19 vaccines in the state, a government official here said.
Modi held a telephonic conversation with the CM on Sunday to discuss the COVID-19 situation in Chhattisgarh, during which Baghel informed him that the positivity rate of the viral infection has been steadily declining in the state, the public relations department official said.
Drawing the attention of the prime minister towards the shortage of vaccine in the state, Baghel requested him to ensure its sufficient availability, he said.
Baghel also told the PM that the state currently has adequate availability of oxygen, and urged him to allow the use of the oxygen remaining after medical use for industrial purposes.
"The availability of oxygen is sufficient and accordingly, after providing 80 percent oxygen to hospitals, the remaining 20 percent can be provided to small industries, so that such units can start their activities," Baghel told Modi.
The prime minister assured the CM to consider his demands, the official said. During the interaction, Baghel also informed that
guidelines issued by the Centre and the state government for prevention of COVID-19 infection were being fully complied with within the state and the number of tests has been increased.
"Contact-tracing has also been expedited. The positivity rate is steadily declining and the recovery rate is improving," the CM said.
Special attention was being paid to rural areas and additional teams (of officials) were deployed in the regions
where cases were still rising, he said. The chief minister also said that complete information about beds in government and private COVID-19 hospitals and Covid care centers was made available online.
On Saturday, Chhattisgarh's COVID-19 caseload rose to 9,07,589 with the addition of 7,664 cases, while the death toll went up by 129 to reach 11,590, as per official data.
The number of active cases in the state stands at 1,10,401 as of Saturday after 7,85,598 people recovered. The case positivity rate in the state declined to 11 percent, which was 26.1 percent on May 1, officials said.
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