Khattar directs admin to ramp up Covid measures

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday directed the district administration to ramp up Covid-19 management preparation with the cases expected to spike over the next few days, as the state has predicted that the peak of the current wave might occur by May 15

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday directed the district administration to ramp up Covid-19 management preparation with the cases expected to spike over the next few days, as the state has predicted that the peak of the current wave might occur by May 15. In Gurugram alone, the active case count is likely to touch 40,000, the highest in the state.

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“Regular auditing of oxygen, availability of beds and medicines in the hospitals should be done so that the future and present strategies regarding demand and supply can be made in advance. A district level monitoring team for monitoring oxygen supply and demand in every hospital across the state should be constituted at the earliest,” said Khattar in a statement issued by the state administration.

On Thursday, Khattar held a review meeting on Covid-19 preparedness with districts on strategies to control the transmission. “CM has assured that oxygen supply will be resolved, and uninterrupted supply will be ensured,” said Yash Garg, deputy commissioner.

According to the CM, the state’s oxygen quota is 257 metric tonnes (MT), and a request has been made to the central government to further enhance this quota to 300 MT. He directed deputy commissioners to ensure that the unloading of the tankers should be done within the shortest time so that the oxygen supply chain in the hospitals remains intact.

Khattar also directed to shift the step-down patients to Covid care centres to provide timely treatment to critical patients. Special screening camps have to be held in rural areas following the prevalence of infection in villages.

Currently, the state’s positivity rate of 37% is the second-highest in the country. Even the weekly average positivity rate of Gurugram is around 28%, which makes it the fifth worst-hit district in the country. On Thursday, the district reported at least 3737 cases, taking the active case count to 39,682. The death tally reached 550 with the confirmation of 13 deaths. At the state level, at least 14,840 new cases and 117 deaths were reported.

The active case count stands at 115,842 and it is likely to reach up to 140,000 as per the projections made by the Central government.