CM Yediyurappa urges PM to provide 15 mn doses of Covid vaccine every month

Karnataka Chief Minister B S

Yeddyurappa on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide at least 1.5 crore doses of Covid vaccine to the state every month.

Yediyurappa put forth the demand for vaccines during a virtual meeting chaired by Modi with the chief ministers of various states to review the COVID-19 situation, said a statement issued by his office.

The Chief Minister explained that the COVID cases in Karnataka have declined to 1,900 a day.

In Bengaluru, it has come down to about 400 cases a day.

While the daily positivity rate is 1.42 per cent, the death rate too has come down to 1.25 per cent, he added.

Stating that Karnataka has so far received 2.62 crore vaccines, the chief minister requested the Prime Minister to provide 1.5 crore doses of the vaccine with a targeted 5 lakh doses everyday, the statement read.

Yediyurappa also told Modi that the district authorities have been authorised to impose sanctions depending on the positivity rate of COVID-19, the number of cases and the opinion of the Technical Advisory Committee.

The district officials have also been told to initiate appropriate action against those not following the COVID-19 protocols such as social distancing, hand hygiene and wearing face mask.

As the Prime Minister asked the state governments to gear up for the possible third wave, Yediyurappa said the government is enhancing the oxygenated beds, ventilator beds and pediatric ICUs in hospitals.

The number of doctors, paramedics and lab technicians in the hospitals have been increased.

In addition, a large number of tools for treating COVID are also being purchased and new RT-PCR laboratories and Genome Sequencing Laboratories are also being set up in the state, Yediyurappa told Modi.

Yediyurappa requested funds under the PM CARES fund for increasing the allocation of vaccines and to set up 800 neonatal and pediatric ventilators.

In addition, the Chief Minister urged Modi to allocate 40 PSA oxygen production units at Taluk hospitals and decentralisation of the distribution of liquid medical oxygen.

He also appealed to increase the supply of amphotericin-B to treat Mucormycosis and increase the intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) distribution for children.

During the video conference, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and senior government officials were present representing the Centre, while Deputy Chief Ministers Dr C N Ashwath Narayan and Govind Karjol, Revenue Minister R Ashoka, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar were present.