PM Modi during an interaction with CMs said that Covid vaccination of children at the earliest is the government's priority
Highlights
- The interaction was held via video conferencing
- The meeting was announced by PM Narendra Modi via his official Twitter handle
- The meeting discussed the COVID-19 situation across different states
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with Chief Ministers on the emerging COVID-19 situation in the country on Wednesday through video conferencing. Several Chief Ministers, including West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Chhattisgarh's Bhupesh Baghel and Punjab's Bhagwant Mann, participated in the interaction.
PM Modi said that it is clear that the threat of Covid-19 is not fully gone yet and "we need to remain alert". "Despite managing the COVID crisis well as compared to other countries, we can see cases' uptick in states now. We have to stay alert. It's clear that the COVID challenge has yet not been surpassed," he said.
"Our scientists and experts are continuously monitoring the national and global situation. We have to work on their suggestions with a pre-emptive, pro-active and collective approach," he said.
Stating that vaccine is the biggest protective shield against the virus, he said, "It is a matter of pride for every Indian that 96 per cent adult population in the country has got at least one dose of Covid vaccine."
He urged the CMs to promote Covid-appropriate behaviour in public places, adding that administering vaccines to every eligible child at the earliest is the priority.
"Covid vaccination of all eligible children at the earliest is a priority for the government and specialised programmes will need to be conducted for it in schools," he said.
Stopping the infection at the very beginning has been our priority as well and it should remain the same even today, he said.
"We have to implement our strategy of Test, Track and Treat equally effectively. In the current situation of coronavirus, it is necessary that we have 100 per cent RT-PCR test for patients admitted in hospitals who are serious influenza cases," the PM said.
The Prime Minister also called for scaling up infrastructure and manpower at medical colleges and district hospitals. He said that health infrastructure has improved a lot due to joint efforts of Centre and states.
With several festivals coming up, PM Modi had on Sunday urged people to stay alert and continue to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour such as wearing masks and frequently washing hands. In his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast, the PM had said in the coming days the festival of Eid, Akshaya Tritiya, the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Parashuram and Vaishakh Budh Purnima will be celebrated.
India recorded 2,927 fresh infections in a day which pushed the case tally to 4,30,65,496 while the active caseload increased to 16,279, according to Union Health Ministry data on Wednesday. The death toll has climbed to 5,23,654 with 32 more fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.
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