The Prime Minister held a virtual meeting with the Chief Ministers of all states and UTs on Wednesday, March 16, in the wake of a worrying spike in the number of coronavirus cases in several states.
This was his first such meeting after the vaccination started in India on January 16.
"We do not want to create an atmosphere of fear. But with some vigilance and initiative, we also want to get the people out of the crisis. Each state has different experiences but it’s time to be proactive. The second wave of coronavirus should be stopped immediately,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi has instructed the state chief ministers.
He also told the chief ministers that there is a need to take quick and decisive steps. Modi said more contacts of patients be traced, and micro-containment zones created. He called for bringing the focus back on the test-trace-treat strategy by ensuring at least 70 per cent of tests are through the RT-PCR method.
“We must also ensure that we do not create panic among the citizens. We must not make statements which may cause panic," he told the Chief Ministers.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray pointed out important issues in this regard. He said that centers or hospitals which have more capacity should get permission to set up the vaccination. Many private hospitals in Maharashtra have also registered for vaccination, but vaccinations will be increased by checking how many of them are actually ready.
The Health Secretary said that the work of Maharashtra is satisfactory in terms of vaccination. In Maharashtra, on average, 1.38 lakh are inoculated every day. This ratio is satisfactory compared to some other major states. However, the PM asked to increase it further.
At present 35,52,000 doses have been given in the state, according to reports. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also demanded that all should be vaccinated from the age group of 45 years onwards.
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