Let states devise vaccine strategy: Punjab CM to PM

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 8

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today urged the Centre to allow states to devise their local strategies for Covid vaccination, within the broad parameters of the Centre’s approach, while seeking a review of the strategy to allow all adults in high-risk areas to be immunised, along with patients with liver and kidney disease below the age of 45.

The Chief Minister made these suggestions in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, immediately after the latter’s meeting with chief ministers of all states to review the Covid and vaccination situation.

Wants more beds at PGI for state

• The Chief Minister urged the PM to direct central institutions such as IISER, IMTech, AIIMS, Bathinda, and PGI, Chandigarh, to increase
• RT-PCR testing from Punjab
• PGI, Chandigarh, should be asked to earmark at least 50 Covid ICU beds for patients being referred by the state, he said

During the meeting, the Chief Minister apprised the PM of the situation in the state, and the steps taken by his government to control and manage the disease. He stressed that the UK variant, which is dominating the second wave in the state, was reported by experts to be more virulent and affecting the youth disproportionately.

In his letter, the CM said his suggestions, some of which had been submitted on March 17 to the PM, were based on the state government’s interaction with independent experts.

Amid reports of some states facing vaccine shortage, Capt Amarinder urged the Union Health Ministry to share the schedule for supply of vaccines with the states over the next quarter.

Given that over 80% positive cases found in Punjab were of the UK variant, he sought strengthening of viral sequencing in the state, which had been reporting around 3,000 cases per day for the past 15 days, with around 8% positivity.

The state currently had around 26,000 active cases with recovery rate of 87.3%, 50-60 deaths a day and around 2% case fatality rate (CFR) in the second surge, which struck the state in the latter half of February this year.

The CM reiterated his earlier request for covering all teachers and staff in educational institutions for vaccination to allow resumption of physical classes once the surge abates. Also, occupation-based immunisation for judges and judicial officers, bus drivers and conductors, elected representatives at all levels, etc. should be allowed to take the vaccination, he stressed.