Maharashtra preparing for third wave of Covid-19, Uddhav Thackeray announces

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said his government has decided to increase oxygen production of the state by 3,000 metric tonnes from 1,200 metric tonnes at the moment under the ‘Mission Oxygen’ initiative.

Having witnessed the brunt of the second wave of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said that the third wave is imminent and urged the people to be careful. The chief minister said that the state government has started ‘Mission Oxygen’ to avoid any scarcity.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray (ANI Photo)

"We have started the preparations for the third wave. We have directed to increase oxygen production by 3,000 metric tonnes from the current 1,200 metric tonnes," Thackeray told media persons.

The chief minister also noted that the Covid-19 cases in some districts have started declining while in some other districts they are still witnessing a rise.

On the preparations by the state to combat the inevitable third wave Thackeray said the task force members have started speaking with family doctors to tell them what to do if a Covid-19 positive patient comes and what line of treatment to follow etc.

The health ministry also warned about the predestined third wave of Covid-19, considering the high level of virus circulation. While the time when the third phase of the deadly virus has not been determined, the government urged everyone to be prepared.

"Phase 3 is inevitable, given the high level of circulating virus. Though not clear on what time scale Phase 3 will occur. We should be prepared for new waves; previous infections/vaccines will cause pressure on the virus for changes to escape; need scientific solutions, "principal advisor to the government K Vijay Raghavan said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

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India is currently reeling under the weight of the second wave of Covid-19 that has overwhelmed the underprepared healthcare infrastructure of the country.

Maharashtra is the major contributor to the number of new infections as well as to the active caseload of the country. The state reported over 57,000 new Covid-19 infections and 920 deaths in the last 24 hours, data updated by the state health department on Wednesday showed.