The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has been marked by a low hospitalisation rate and less severe symptoms in patients so far, Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said on Friday.
Presenting a status report on the COVID-19 situation in the Union Territory as a virtual meeting convened by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya with southern States/Union Territories, Mr. Rangasamy said the Union Territory of Puducherry was well equipped with hospital beds, medicine stocks and equipment to cope with a resurgence of the pandemic in the near future.
The COVID-19 mortality rate was 1.2% and the hospitalisation rate 1.4%. A majority of the third wave patients were recovering in home isolation. In Puducherry alone, the health sector has 1,301 oxygen beds and 125 ventilator beds lying vacant at present, Mr. Rangasamy pointed out.
The Union Territory has also achieved 88% vaccination coverage in first dose and 60% in second, among the targeted adult population.
Apart from administering 6,728 precaution doses, the government also administered vaccines to more than half of the target population in the 15-17 age group, the Chief Minister said.
As part of augmenting health infrastructure, the government had set up 1,945 isolation beds, 1,464 oxygen beds and 171 ventilator beds.
PWD Minister K. Lakshminarayanan and G. Sriramulu, Health Director, also participated.
