November 25, 2020 4:41:48 am
The Prime Minister also asked states to examine the situation on the ground regarding the increase in the infection rate in a decentralized manner. (Archive)
As the race to find an effective Covid-19 vaccine progresses, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged states on Tuesday to build decentralized mechanisms, down to the bloc level, in the form of working groups for the smooth administration of the vaccine, which is expected to take place. early next year.
Interacting with senior ministers via video conference, the prime minister, while underlining that there is no decision yet on which vaccine will be finalized and when, repeatedly emphasized the key role that states will play in administering the vaccine. He urged states to provide individual plans for a final plan for the nation’s largest immunization campaign.
Warning against laxity in fighting the virus and attributing the recent increase in positive cases to “widespread neglect,” Modi told senior ministers to work to reduce the positivity rate to below 5% and the death rate from below 1%.
“A few days ago, the Center had asked the states to form a state-level steering committee (on vaccine administration) and a district-level task force. I suggest this is done at the block level. We have to do this as quickly as possible; we have to delegate this to one person to make sure there are regular meetings, training, monitoring and online training. In addition, being committed to the fight against the pandemic on a daily basis, we have to establish this mechanism in parallel ”.
“I request that you submit a detailed plan on the vaccine front and last mile delivery soon. This will help us make decisions. The experience of the states (on the administration of vaccines) is of utmost importance. Because everything moves from the state level. You have to participate proactively, ”he said.
He assured states that they will be consulted about the distribution of the vaccine once it is available. The “vaccination campaign for all citizens is a national commitment” and “a large-scale vaccination campaign must be fluid, systematic and sustainable, as it will last a long time”.
He said states should examine cold storage requirements and possibilities for increasing them. “States should start working on additional cold storage requirements and looking at where all new cold storage is possible. The Center has already given instructions, but we have to be prepared to implement it. We will secure additional supplies. The detailed plan will be finalized and shared with states soon. Both the state teams and the central teams are talking, ”he said.
In inquiries from states about the price of different vaccines, the Prime Minister said that the price is still unknown. “You are well aware of the vaccine development that is reported internationally. We are almost at the final stages of vaccine development. We are attentive to these developments. We are in contact with everyone. There is still no decision on the number of doses; there is no decision yet on the price of each of these candidate vaccines. We still don’t have an answer to these questions, ”he said.
“There is competition between vaccine manufacturers. Different countries also have diplomatic interests. We also have to wait for the WHO. We have created a mechanism to have a real-time engagement with global regulators, governments of other countries and multinational companies, ”he said.
“For us, security is as necessary as speed. Whatever vaccine India administers to its citizens, it will be tested, on all scientific parameters, ”he said.
The Prime Minister also asked states to examine the situation on the ground regarding the increase in the infection rate in a decentralized manner.
“Instead of discussing the national panorama, we have to start discussing it in a localized way; with this, we can address the problem more quickly. The proportion of RT-PCR tests has to increase. We need to better monitor isolated patients at home. Any complacency shown in home isolation can cause the patient to arrive at the hospital in serious condition. In such circumstances, we cannot save lives, ”he said.
He urged the states to guarantee the oxygen supply at the village level. “At the village level, primary and community health centers need to be better equipped. The oxygen supply must be guaranteed in the vicinity of these villages. Our goal should be to reduce the mortality rate to below 1%. We have to carefully examine the reason for each death in the smaller cities. That should be the level of focus. Only then can we control the situation, ”he said.
“Those who are working on developing a vaccine are doing it; however, we have to focus on containing the infection. We cannot be complacent… The trend in some of our states is worrying. The authorities must be more cautious and do more to stop the transmission of the virus, ”he said.
He said that in many countries, and in “some states of India”, there is a recent trend of increasing cases and this is “worrying” and “we all need to be more aware and alert”.
“To control transmission, we have to increase the pace of our efforts such as testing, confirmation, contact tracing and data. We have to give them the highest priority. We have to reduce the positivity rate below 5 percent. “
Right now, the country, he said, is going through the fourth phase of the pandemic. In the first phase, there was fear, “everyone was in a panic about the pandemic and everyone was reacting.”
In the second phase, “fear mixed with doubts about other people, created an atmosphere of hatred.” People feared they would cut it if they tested positive and “a lot of people started hiding their infection.” The fear, he said, dissipated in the third phase and things began to stabilize. But it also led to the current situation after people relaxed, he said.
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