Omicron variant: AP CM asks officials to expedite vaccination process

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], November 30 (ANI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday directed the officials to expedite the vaccination process and complete it by fixing targets.

During a review meeting at the Camp Office in Amaravati on Monday in wake of the new variant Omicron.

He instructed the officials to start a drive on using masks and ensure no mass gatherings and added to continue door-to-door fever survey and vaccination. He instructed the officials to check the facilities in the hospitals used to treat COVID patients in the past and also to ensure facilities in empanelled hospitals. He directed the officials to inspect quarantine centres, COVID-19 care centers and COVID call centres once again.

The Chief Minister directed the officials to keep a target to complete two crore doses of vaccination by end of December and said to focus on the districts where the process is slow. He suggested the officials conduct a mock drill of Oxygen Generation Plants in all hospitals. He directed the officials to set up special medical teams at airports of Banglore, Chennai and Hyderabad and screen people who are arriving in Andhra Pradesh. He asked officials to conduct only RTPCR tests and avoid rapid tests and added to complete arrangements for the medical colleges for which tenders were finalised.

The officials informed the CM that the recovery rate in Andhra Pradesh is 99.20 and the positivity rate is 0.64. Daily average cases were 197 and total active cases were 2,140. They said calls to helpline number 104 were reduced and preparations were made to tackle the third wake. They said there are 82 hundred beds in government hospitals and added that 87.43 per cent of the people completed the first dose and 62.19 per cent completed two doses of vaccination and they would complete the vaccination process by January.

They informed the Chief Minister that the new variant Omicron has been mutating and spreading fast and research is being conducted in various countries on this variant. They said 15 per cent of samples are being sent to CCMB for the genomic sequence to identify this variant and added that a genome sequencing lab will be available in Vijayawada soon. They said special focus is being laid on people arriving from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong. (ANI)