Will not impose lockdown in Telangana: KCR

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has made it clear that no lockdown will be imposed in Telangana. He said the lockdown would paralyze public life and put the state's economy at risk of collapse. The decision was taken by the CM after assessing the situation. Despite lockdown imposed in other states, the number of positive cases has not decreased.

KCR also spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested for the quick supply of oxygen and vaccines. Chief Minister pointed out that the state has not received the allotted oxygen from Sri Perambadur in Tamil Nadu and Ballari in Karnataka. He said Hyderabad has become a medical hub and people from neighboring states are visiting the city for medical services.

The CM explained that the influx of people from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and other states to Hyderabad for Covid treatment has increased the burden on Hyderabad. He told the Prime Minister that they require more oxygen as they receive additional huge patient inflow from other states.

Under these circumstances, the state is currently receiving only 440 metric tonnes of oxygen per day. He asked the Prime Minister to increase the quota to 500 metric tonnes.He said that only 4900 Remdesivir were being received in Telangana per day and asked to increase them to at least 25000 per day. He said that so far the Center has provided 50 lakh doses but the requirement is more.

CM urged Prime Minister Modi to supply the vaccines as soon as possible as the state needs 2 to 2.5 lakh doses per day. Later Union Minister Piyush Goel spoke to KCR and assured the CM that all the issues requested by Prime Minister KCR would be brought to the notice of the state soon and steps would be taken for expeditious supply of oxygen vaccine remedy. Oxygen will be supplied from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu and not from the eastern states.

Meanwhile, the CM who recovered fully from COVID held a high-level review meeting on COVID at Pragati Bhavan on Thursday. "CM thoroughly reviewed the corona conditions prevailing in the state. How much oxygen is currently being received and how much more? How many vaccines are available and how much is needed per day? The extent to which the remedy is being supplied is fully discussed on issues such as the availability of oxygen beds and how much the state needs per day," an official spokesman said in a statement.

The CM also spoke to Remedesvir manufacturers and asked them to further increase their availability. He said there were 9,500 oxygen beds in the state so far and they would be added to districts including Hyderabad to increase the number to another 5,000 in a few days.

The CM directed Chief Secretary (CS) to urgently airlift 12 cryogenic tankers from China at a cost of Rs 1 crore each for a better oxygen supply. The CM directed CS to expedite the process. Primary Health Centers across the state have set up a total of 5980 COVID Outpatient Centers in Community Hospitals Area Hospitals urging the people to avail the services of these.

Officials told the CM that so far in the second wave, one lakh and fifty thousand positive cases have been registered in public and private hospitals, of which one lakh and thirty thousand ( around 85 percent) have recovered.

The CM said medical officers should hold a media conference every evening to reveal the details about the COVID situation. The Director of Health was ordered to take this responsibility.

KCR said a special officer should be appointed to oversee the measures taken by the medical department for corona control in the state. The CM directed Finance Secretary Ramakrishna Rao to immediately release the funds required for the medical department. A special officer should be appointed for the release of funds in this regard.

The CM directed that the second dose of vaccines should be administered to beneficiaries as per the schedule. The CM reviewed the oxygen supply and made several attempts to increase oxygen availability in the state.

He spoke to IICT Director Chandrasekhar over the phone in this regard. The steps to be taken to increase oxygen reserves were immediately sought. The paramedics were instructed to immediately purchase 500 oxygen enrichments as per their instructions.

The CM suggested that more should be provided soon and steps should be taken to set up systems that produce oxygen in less time. The CM directed Panchayati raj municipal authorities to spray sodium hypochlorite in villages and towns and take immediate steps to keep the surroundings clean.

The CM urged the people not to panic over the corona issue. He said Asha workers will deliver medical kits to their doors. It will be accompanied by a pamphlet explaining the precautions to be taken.