Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 17: The centre on Saturday expressed serious concern over India reporting the sharpest growth rate of Corona infections and alarming rise in active cases and fatalities as the Congress leaders at its Working Committee meeting slammed the Narendra Modi government for “not doing enough” to brace the infrastructure up in the interim period the pandemic gave a breather.
While the prime minister is scheduled to review the Corona situation with the state government officials later on Saturday night, the health minister Harsh Vardhan had a meeting with the health ministers of the worst-affected states to discuss the infrastructural support they needed from the centre.
The health minister pointed out that India currently was reporting the sharpest growth rate of 7.6% in new COVID cases, which is 1.3 times higher than the growth rate of 5.5% reported in June 2020. This was leading to an alarming rise in daily number of active cases and also a sharp growth of 10.2% in the number of COVID deaths.
Dr. Vardhan chaired the high-level review meeting with Health Ministers of 11 States/UTs — Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh — that are reporting an unprecedented surge in new COVID cases.
The minister said India now had 2,463 testing labs that have a combined daily testing capacity of 15 lakh. The three-tier health infrastructure to treat COVID according to severity now includes 2,084 Dedicated COVID Hospitals (of which 89 are under the Centre and the rest 1,995 with States), 4,043 Dedicated COVID Health Centres and 12,673 COVID Care Centres. They have 18,52,265 beds in total including the 4,68,974 beds in the dedicated COVID Hospitals.
“The Centre gave 34,228 ventilators to States last year. Fresh supply of the lifesaving machines — 1,121 ventilators are to be given to Maharashtra, 1,700 to Uttar Pradesh, 1,500 to Jharkhand, 1,600 to Gujarat, 152 to Madhya Pradesh and 230 to Chhattisgarh,” the Minister said.
At the meeting, the issues of augmenting supply of oxygen cylinders, stepping up supply of Remdesivir in hospitals, adding to the ventilator stock and enhanced supply of vaccine doses were raised by several States and UTs.
Several States also demanded dovetailing of medical oxygen supply lines and the capping of prices of essential drugs like Remdesivir which they claim is being sold in the black market at exorbitant prices.
“Double mutant strain was a key point of concern and the Delhi government requested for additional beds in central government hospitals as was done in 2020 to help tide over the emergent health crisis,” said a release issued by the Union Health Ministry.
Also taking note of the surge in cases witnessed since last February in which most States have now crossed their highest numbers recorded last year, Dr. Vardhan directed States to plan in advance and increase COVID hospitals, oxygenated beds and other relevant infrastructure to deal with any further surge in cases.
The States were asked to seek out positive cases with the onset of early symptoms so that prompt and effective treatment checks the deterioration of health. Large containment zones for achieving community quarantine were also suggested as a strategy.
Meanwhile, at the virtual CWC meeting which was convened by the interim president Sonia Gandhi to discuss the prevailing Covid situation, the former prime minister Manmohan Singh said “vaccine manufacturers must be given the opportunity to get a fair price so that they can ensure the supply as per demand,” sources said.
The 88-year-old veteran leader is likely to send his suggestions on necessary Covid measures that the government should take to Modi in a letter.
The former president Rahul Gandhi, a vehement critic of the government, said India which has been the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, has “become the worst-affected nation”. “The government should have prepared better. They had one year but they did not do enough,” sources quoted him as saying.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stressed that “super-spreader events” and public rallies should be immediately stopped. Vadra, who is the general secretary for the party in-charge of UP, also gave a detailed briefing on the state that has been witnessing a record surge in cases.
Sonia Gandhi, in a sharply-worded letter after the meeting, slammed the government on various counts. She also said the vaccine net should be widened to all those who are 25 and above.
“It is deeply concerning to read news reports of acute shortages of medical equipment and hospital beds. Reports from across the country speak of the scarcity of Covid-19 vaccine as also of important life-saving drugs including Remdesivir in different parts of the country,” she said.
“I have written to the Prime Minister after meeting with them. Our Chief Ministers have spoken to the Prime Minister and written to the concerned minister from time to time pleading for relief. Some of them were left with only a few days of vaccine, no oxygen or ventilators. But there has been thundering silence on the part of the government,” she added.