COVID-19: PM Modi calls for ensuring adequate health infra, accelerating vaccination drive for adolescents

Reviewing the COVID-19 situation amid a surge in cases fuelled by the Omicron variant of the virus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for ensuring adequate health infrastructure at the district level and accelerating the vaccination drive for adolescents in mission mode. Noting that the coronavirus has been evolving continuously, Modi underlined the need for continuous scientific research in testing and vaccines besides pharmacological interventions, including genome sequencing, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.

Highlighting the need to ensure effective usage of masks and physical distancing measures as a new normal to control the spread of Covid, Modi called for effective implementation of home isolation for mild and asymptomatic cases and to disseminate the factual information to the community at large. He said a meeting with chief ministers be convened to discuss state-specific scenarios, best practices, and public health response, the PMO added. Conveying gratitude for the relentless services provided by healthcare workers in managing the pandemic, he said ensuring precaution dose for them and other frontline workers should be taken up in mission mode, it said. A presentation was made in the meet to highlight India’s consistent efforts towards the vaccination campaign, with 31 percent of adolescents aged 15-18 years having been administered the first dose so far within seven days of the start of the drive.