Don’t panic, majority of COVID patients can recover at home; 1 cr vaccine doses still with states: Vardhan

KEY STORY

• As the second wave of coronavirus continues to wreak havic across the country, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday appealed to the citizens to not panic and the majority of COVID-19 patients can recover at home while being in touch with a doctor. The minister appealed, saying he was not speaking just as the country’s health minister but also as a doctor.

• Speaking to the media persons, Vardhan touched upon the scarcity of oxygen in many hospitals across the country, saying that getting having right information regarding oxygen the life-saving gas is very crucial.

• While requesting people to have appropriate knowledge regarding oxygen, Vardhan said that there’s no need to rush to hospitals as a result of panic reactions. Those who need oxygen should get it but it’s not right if someone thinks he/she needs oxygen, due to lack of knowledge, he added.

• Oxygen was available in adequate quantity earlier. Now it is being made available from many sources by mobilising it from industry, importing from abroad, and making available storage tankers and cryogenic tankers, the Union Health Minister asserted.

• Reacting to some states’ claims that they don’t have COVID-19 vaccines, the health minsiter said that the Centre allocated coronavirus vaccine doses to states as per their performance in terms of vaccination.

• We have given more than 16 crore doses of vaccines to states out of which more than 15 crores doses have been administered, Vardhan said, adding, that means over 1 crore doses are still left with the states.

• Ensuring a smooth supply of COVID vaccines, Vardhan said that some lakh doses are in the pipeline and will be delivered in the next 2-3 days.

CONCLUSION

• Since the beginning of vaccination, not a single day has passed when states were not given vaccine doses as per their capacity, the Union Health Minister categorically stated.

• The Centre has so far provided more 16.16 crore COVID vaccine doses to states/UTs free of cost. More than 20 lakh doses, in addition, will be received by the states/UTs in the next 3 days, the MoHFW stated in its release.