People are anxious about COVID-19 vaccine, TMC says at PM’s meeting

TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay lauded West Bengal’s efforts in containing the COVID-19 pandemic and said that CM Mamata Banerjee had hit the streets to make people aware about wearing masks and maintain physical-distancing.

December 04, 2020 08:29 pm | Updated 08:35 pm IST - Kolkata:

Sudip Bandopadhyay.

Sudip Bandopadhyay.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who participated in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual meeting on Friday, expressed concern over the COVID-19 situation and said people were becoming anxious with regard to the vaccine.

“We are not sure whether COVID-19 situation is going to reduce or improve. This is becoming unpredictable,” Mr. Bandyopadhyay, who is also TMC leader in the Lok Sabha, said in the video conference. He also said that people were “anxious to know what latest position of discovery of vaccine is”. The TMC leader, while referring to the PM’s recent visit to vaccine manufacturing facilities, expressed hope that the Union government would extend all help to them.

He lauded West Bengal’s efforts in containing the COVID-19 pandemic and said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had hit the streets to make people aware about wearing masks and maintain physical distancing.

Mr. Bandyopadhyay also added that West Bengal had taken certain innovative measures in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, such as dedicated COVID-19 hospitals, safe houses for patients, plasma banks, tele-counselling, and a free ambulance service special helpline for COVID-19 patients.

“The Central government is taking the lead in fighting COVID-19 and State government are cooperating with the Central directives and sometimes coming up with their [own] innovative measures,” the TMC MP said.

In earlier virtual meetings with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ms. Banerjee had sought more funds from the Centre while assuring all cooperation for speedy and universal vaccination. In the meeting on November 24, she had said that the State had already spent about ₹4,000 crore only on account of COVID-19 management, but till now, the Government of India had released only ₹193 crore.

As on December 3, West Bengal had recorded 4,93,316 cases of COVID-19 infections. Active cases in the State had dropped to 24,106. The State is recording about 3,200 daily infections and about 50 deaths. The total number of COVID-19 fatalities in the State as on December 3 stood at 8,576.

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