Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray says ready to vaccinate 1.5 million a day, warns against Covid-19 third wave

The chief minister also warned about the Delta Plus variant of the disease spreading and urged the people to continue following Covid appropriate behaviour.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said that his government is ready to vaccinate 1.5 million people per day against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). He also urged the people to continue to follow Covid appropriate behaviour despite the falling daily new infections, while warning about the threats posed by the Delta Plus variant of the disease and the third wave.

"Even though the daily number of Covid-19 cases is falling, people should continue to follow the Covid appropriate behaviour," Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said. (Twitter/@CMOMaharashtra)

“There is also a threat from the Delta Plus variant. Even though the daily number of Covid-19 cases is falling, people should continue to follow the Covid appropriate behaviour. We are ready to vaccinate 15 lakh (1.5 million) people per day,” news agency PTI quoted Thackeray as saying.

The chief minister was virtually speaking at the inauguration ceremony of a jumbo Covid Care Centre (CCC) in suburban Malad. “Though the bed occupancy is less now, the Covid appropriate behaviour has to be followed by all. In the first wave, we (the government) were the first to erect a jumbo Covid-19 facility at BKC (Bandra Kurla Complex) in a record time,” he further said in his address, according to PTI.

The jumbo CCC in Malad is the first among four such centres planned to be opened by the Maharashtra government in preparation for the expected third wave of Covid-19. It is constructed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and has 2,170 beds, of which 70% are oxygen beds and 192 ICU beds. In the paediatrics ward, there are 200 oxygen beds and 50 ICU beds.

While the Malad jumbo CCC has been inaugurated in the first phase, similar facilities would be constructed at Kanjurmarg, Sion and Racecourse at Worli, as confirmed by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in a tweet, earlier in the day.

Apart from new centres, the government is also planning to increase the bed capacity in the existing centres, the CMO said in another tweet.

Maharashtra reported 9,974 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday. Also, 143 people succumbed to the infection. Also, 31,159,523 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, comprising 25,145,226 first doses and 6,014,297 second doses, have been administered in the state as of 8am on Monday, according to the Union health ministry.

(With inputs from PTI)