Andhra CM holds COVID-19 review meeting

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], April 15 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday held a review meeting on the prevailing COVID-19 situation and vaccination and congratulated health officials for administrating 6.28 lakh doses of vaccine the previous day.
He patted the officials for achieving the stipulated target and urged them to continue the same fervour in the coming days.
During the review meeting, the Chief Minister, amid the alleged shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in the state, directed the health officials to write a letter to Central Government seeking COVID-19 vaccines and said he would write the letter seeking the same if necessary.
The Chief Minister instructed the officials to give huge publicity to 104 services and said people should call 104 for any queries on COVID-19. "Setup hoardings and posters at public places like bus stand publicising the same... The patients should be admitted to hospitals or advised for home isolation based on the suggestion of doctors", he said adding that the ambulance services should be provided timely and that the treatment should be expedited with the help of ASHA workers, with constant follow up on the health of the people in home isolation.
The Chief Minister directed the officials to fix prices for treatment in private hospitals and ensure they do not charge more money. He said there should be no scarcity of beds for COVID-19 patients and directed the officials to maintain a record on the availability of beds in Arogyasri empanelled hospitals and private hospitals.
He said the fee and charges for treatment should be displayed at hospitals and the details on whom to complain if the hospitals charge more, should be displayed in hospitals and added that the cost of medicine, tablets and injections should also be displayed. Reddy said strict action should be taken against hospitals that charge more from the patients.
He said primary contacts of COVID patients should be traced and tested and arrangements should be made to conduct tests in all PHCs adding that people calling 104 requesting COVID test should be directed to respective PHC or village clinic.
The Chief Minister directed the officials to focus on vaccination and complete the process as soon as possible. He said everyone above 45 years, all health care workers and frontline workers should be vaccinated. He said six lakh vaccines should be administered every day for some more days to complete the stipulated targets.
Reddy said to prepare a protocol for regular monitoring of people who are home quarantined to stay at home and added that should be provided COVID-19 kits with seven types of tablets and capsules.
He said oxygen should be supplied to hospitals at full capacity and added to ensure oxygen is produced at full capacity in the Vizag production centre and supplied to hospitals. He said the required injections should be made available in all hospitals.
The officials said the positivity rate is 6.03 per cent and 108 hospitals are under health department for COVID-19 treatment. They said 15,669 beds are available of which 4,889 are occupied and 1,987 ventilators are available and added that 22,637 patients are in home isolation.