NITI Aayog cautions Haryana govt about unpredictable nature of Covid

The NITI Aayog on Friday advised the Haryana government to ensure that people restrict celebrations during the upcoming festive season to their homes in order to prevent the possibility of the third wave of Covid-19

The NITI Aayog on Friday advised the Haryana government to ensure that people restrict celebrations during the upcoming festive season to their homes in order to prevent the possibility of the third wave of Covid-19.

Dr Vinod K Paul, member of NITI Aayog, reviewed the preparations being made to deal with the possibilities of the third wave. (HT File)

Dr Vinod K Paul, member of NITI Aayog, reviewed the preparations being made to deal with the possibilities of the third wave. He said it can be prevented if people adhere to Covid-safety protocol.

Dr Paul said people of Haryana should not become complacent, especially during the festive season in view of the unpredictable behaviour of the virus.

Haryana additional chief secretary (ACS, health) Rajeev Arora apprised the NITI Aayog of the preparations being made. Arora said with the upcoming festive season, there is a possibility of a sudden spike in Covid cases and preparations are being made to augment the healthcare facilities at micro level.

An official spokesperson said Dr Paul appreciated the pace of vaccination drives and Covid management in state during the first and second wave of the virus.

The NITI Aayog member suggested civil surgeons to prepare an estimate, considering the maximum Covid cases during the peak of the second wave and to ensure that the required number of beds are available even in far-flung villages and rural belts of Haryana.

During the meeting, state health minister Anil Vij, who is admitted at Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, spoke to Dr Paul thorough video call and discussed the preparations for the anticipated the third wave.

Later, chief secretary Vijai Vardhan also joined the meeting.