“People have adopted a casual approach which is very dangerous,” says Dr.Harsh Vardhan
New Delhi: India’s daily new cases continue to rise. 2,17,353 new cases were registered in the last 24 hours. The Union Health Ministry today advised all central Ministries to issue instructions to the hospitals under their control or their Public Sector Undertakings to set-up exclusive dedicated hospital wards or separate blocks within the hospitals for COVID Care, as was done last year.
With unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases in the country leading to hospitals running short of space and severe shortage of vaccines as well as life saving medicines such as Remdesivir, and even Medical Oxygen – the Government is allowing Industrial cylinders to be used for medical oxygen after due purging, the Union Health Ministry today claimed the current production capacity of indigenously developed Covaxin vaccine would be doubled by May-June 2021 and then increase it nearly 6-7 fold by July – August 2021. This implies increasing the production from 1 crore vaccine doses in April, 2021 to 6-7 crore vaccine dose/month in July – August.
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“It is expected to reach nearly 10 crore doses per month by September 2021,” the Ministry stated today. It added that as a part this augmentation plan, capacities of Bharat Biotech Limited, Hyderabad as well as other public sector manufactures were being upgraded with required infrastructure and technology. “Financial support is being provided as grant from Government of India (GoI) to the tune of approximately Rs 65 crore to Bharat Biotech’s new Bangalore facility which is being repurposed to increase the capacity of vaccine production,” it informed.
Besides, the following three public sectors companies were also being supported to increase the capacity of vaccine production:
- Haffkine Biopharmaceutical Corporation Ltd, Mumbai –a State PSE under State Government of Maharashtra. Financial support as grant from GoI to the tune of approximately Rs. 65 crore will be provided for this facility to be made ready for manufacturing. The Haffkine Biopharmaceuticals Ltd had asked for around 12 months to complete this task. However, the Central government has asked them to expedite and complete the task urgently within 6 months. The facility will have a capacity of 20 million dozes per month, once functional.
- Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), Hyderabad –A facility under National Dairy Development Board.
- Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Limited (BIBCOL) , Bulandshahr a CPSE under Department of Biotechnology, Government of India will also be supported to prepare their facility to provide 10-15 million doses per month by August – September 2021.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi today reviewed the prevailing situation and stressed on “synergy across ministries and state governments’, to ensure adequate medical grade oxygen supply in the country particularly across 12 high burden states (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan). Modi urged officials to ensure seamless and free movement of tankers carrying oxygen throughout the country.
The Government has exempted all interstate movement of oxygen tankers from registration of permits to enable easier movement, and permitted cylinder filling plants 24 hour working with necessary safeguards. “Similarly nitrogen and argon tankers will be automatically allowed to be converted to oxygen tankers to overcome the potential shortage of tankers, “the Prime Minister’s Office stated today.
Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan too held a detailed review meet in the national capital on the availability of beds/oxygenated beds at the general/ICU wards with the heads of the various departments engaged in treating COVID and non-COVID medical conditions taking note of difficulties faced by them and their colleagues in carrying out their present duties. He put the onus on people to fight the pandemic stating: “Our biggest fight this time is to teach COVID appropriate behaviour to the people. People have adopted a casual approach which is very dangerous. COVID Appropriate behaviour is the biggest social tool we have to break the chain.”
– global bihari bureau
