With apprehension of COVID-19 third wave looming large, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday directed the district authorities and urban administrators to keep the hospital infrastructure both in the government and private sectors ready at the highest level and at par with the 2nd wave health infrastructure.
Reviewing the COVID-19 situation in the wake of the recent rise in infection trajectory and Omicron cases, Patnaik directed all public and private hospitals to be ready in the next 10 days with the adequate number of beds and Intensive Care Units (ICUs).
Stating that the government is intent on ensuring that livelihood is not affected in exigencies of the situation, Patnaik also appealed to the people to strictly abide by the Covid-19 protocol.
Laying emphasis on speeding up the vaccination, Patnaik asked the officials to work on a campaign mode to achieve the Covid vaccination target, adding that 15-18 years age group children must get priority.
Expressing concern over the rise in Omicron cases, he said the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly across the country with the number of patients getting doubled in a few days.
“Therefore, we need to take immediate steps to ensure that the Covid situation is properly monitored and managed,” he said.
The state had undertaken oxygen management, information campaigns, training modules, etc during the last wave in an excellent and effective manner, he said while suggesting reactivation and restoration of monitoring groups and district-level monitoring systems be restored
“As the virus is likely to spread rapidly in the country, it is imperative that all measures be taken immediately,” he concluded.