A record 6.28 lakh people were vaccinated on Wednesday, and the target should be to administer the vaccine to at least six lakh people daily, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Thursday.
“Since there is shortage of vaccine, the officials have to take steps for procuring adequate stocks from the Central government,” the Chief Minister said, and added that he would also write a letter to the Union government requesting despatch of additional quantities of vaccines.
Priority group
“Persons aged above 45 and all frontline workers should be vaccinated on a priority basis in order to check the spread of the pandemic,” Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said at a review meeting on COVID-19 management and vaccination programme.
“Ensure enough beds in the hospitals, and allot the same within three hours of the patients seeking admission through the call centre number, ‘104’, which is being dedicated to COVID services,” Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy told the officials.
The patients should be admitted to hospitals, or advised home isolation, based on the suggestion of the doctors, he said, and directed that the ambulance services be provided and treatment facilitated by ASHA workers.
Stressing the need for keeping a watch on the health condition of those in home isolation, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy told the officials of the Medical, Health & Family Welfare Department not to compromise on tests, treatment, sanitation and quality of food in the hospitals, and insisted that there be no shortage of medicines.
‘Fix charges in private hospitals’
The Chief Minister also instructed the officials to fix the price at which the private hospitals should treat the COVID-19 patients and ensure that they were not exploited.
The Aarogyasri - empanelled hospitals and the private hospitals should maintain a record of the number of beds available. Besides, the details of treatment charges and the cost of medicines and injections should be displayed at hospitals, he said.
“The names and contact numbers of the hospital administrators tasked with redress of grievances have to be highlighted,” he said.
The Chief Minister further ordered that the hospitals be supplied enough quantities of oxygen to enable them to treat the seriously ill patients.
Officials told the Chief Minister that the positivity rate was 6.03% and that 108 hospitals were under the control of the Health Department. They also said that 1,987 ventilators were available. They further informed that 22,637 patients were in home isolation.
