E-Paper
CMs from southern states ask Modi for more vaccines
Chennai/Bengaluru/Thiruvananthapuram: Chief ministers of the southern states urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday for an increase in vaccine supply to ensure maximum protection to people before a third wave of Covid-19 strikes
Chennai/Bengaluru/Thiruvananthapuram:
Chief ministers of the southern states urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday for an increase in vaccine supply to ensure maximum protection to people before a third wave of Covid-19 strikes.
Interacting with the PM through a video-conferencing, the chief ministers briefed him about the steps being taken to check the spread of coronavirus even though cases were on the rise.
In a video interaction with chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Maharashtra and Kerala, where many districts have been reporting a high number of cases, Modi said the country stands at a point in its battle with the pandemic where apprehensions about a third wave are being expressed.
These states have accounted for 80% of new Covid-19 cases last week and 84% of deaths, the PM noted in his closing remarks, specifically mentioning the rise in infections in Kerala and Maharashtra as a matter of grave concern for the country.
A similar trend was witnessed in January and February before the second wave started, he said. “It’s very important that states with a rising number of cases take proactive measures to rule out any possibility of a third wave,” Modi said.
The PM emphasised an effective trace, track and vaccination methodology, asking states to strengthen micro-containment zone strategy, which has helped some states such as Assam to control Covid without enforcing a lockdown.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Covid-19 situation in the state is under control. “In Kerala the second wave started very late and at one point its test positivity rate went up to 30%, but now it is around 10%,” he said, adding the state’s mortality rate remained the lowest in the country at 0.48%.
Vijayan said the state has given first dose of vaccination to 11.7 million people and both the doses to 4.41 million, maintaining zero vaccine wastage. The state has a population of 30.46 million. The Kerala CM sought six million more doses to cover a major portion of the population.
Kerala has been contributing the highest number of Covid cases among all states since June 15. On Thursday, it reported 13,773 new cases, almost one-fourth of national total of 41,806, according to the state health ministry data. Its test positivity rate was 10.95% whereas the national average was below 3%. The virus has shown no sign of abating in Kerala with new daily cases hovering around 10,000 since March.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said the state managed “reasonably well” in fighting against the pandemic despite lack of modern medical facilities as in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. He said the newly set up village/ward secretariats system has played a key role in effective containment of Covid. “12 fever surveys have helped in containing the spread of the virus.”
The CM said that of 17,71,580 doses given to private hospitals, only 4,20,209 have been used in June. He requested the Prime Minister to allot the remaining stocks in private hospitals to the government, so that the vaccination process will be expedited.
Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa urged the PM to provide at least 10.5 million doses of Covid vaccine to the state every month, saying the Covid cases in Karnataka have declined to 1,900 a day and in Bengaluru to about 400 cases a day.
Stating that Karnataka has so far received 20.62 million vaccines, the chief minister requested the Prime Minister to provide 10.5 million doses of the vaccine with a targeted 500,000 doses every day, a government statement said. Yediyurappa also told Modi that the district authorities have been authorised to impose sanctions depending on the positivity rate of Covid-19, the number of cases and the opinion of the Technical Advisory Committee. He also informed the PM about steps being taken to deal with the anticipated third wave.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin sought 10 million vaccine doses as a special case and urged the PM to exempt all goods needed for Covid management from the goods and services tax (GST). He also said the Centre should reconsider its decision to conduct national-level exams like the NEET, as it may lead to virus spread.
“The demand for vaccines has tremendously increased in Tamil Nadu,” Stalin said. “However, when compared with other states, the allocation for our state is very less. To handle this tough situation, I had requested a special allocation of one crore vaccine doses. I look forward to your support in this important issue,” he told Modi. Stalin said Tamil Nadu has reduced vaccine wastage from 6% to 0%.
On July 13, Stalin had said that till July 8, Tamil Nadu received 29,18,110 vaccine doses from the Centre for people in the 18-44 years bracket and 1,30,08,440 for those above 45 years. “The allocation was very inadequate and TN did not receive vaccines proportionate to its population,” Stalin had said in a letter to Modi.
(With agency inputs)
