New Delhi: There is no Covid vaccine in the world that is currently licensed, so it is important not just to stay prepared for vaccine rollout but to also ensure that there is no let-up in Covid control measures, so that “the boat does not sink in shallow waters after having traversed choppier waters”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told chief ministers Tuesday after two marathon meetings.
The first meeting was a review of eight high-burden states while the second was a meeting with all states to discuss vaccine rollout. The prime minister asked chief ministers to give written suggestions on vaccine rollout since their political understanding and grassroots connect could give valuable insights that administrative officials may not always think of, officials present in the meeting said.
“There is currently no approved vaccine in the world, so we have to concentrate on corona (in the) meanwhile. It should not happen that having come this far, our boat sinks in shallow waters. We have to concentrate on reducing transmission, do vigorous contact tracing, keep positivity rate below 5 per cent and keep case fatality rate below 1 per cent, continue with the awareness campaigns,” Modi said during the meeting.
“There is no decision yet on how many doses of the vaccine will have to be given, what will be the pricing, so we are in touch with Indian developers and manufacturers, global regulators, foreign governments, multilateral institutions and everyone. But we need to prepare for the long haul. We will take decisions such as cold chain management and priority groups, but the system (for vaccine delivery) has to be kept ready even as the decision about which vaccine to go with is one that scientists will take,” Modi added.
He further said that vaccine politics cannot be helped, a reference, seemingly, to the potshots that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been taking at the government on the issue.
Modi also complimented chief ministers for a job well done over the last 10 months. He talked about how people’s reaction to the pandemic has come in phases — fear in the first phase, suspicion in the next, secrecy in the third and now in the fourth phase, people are announcing their Covid-19 positive status. But, he said, it is important that people don’t let their guard down.
Also read: With Covid vaccine coming, Modi govt tells states & UTs to boost ways to report side effects
‘CMs should do weekly review’
Home Minister Amit Shah who was also present at the meeting reiterated the need to have lower case fatality rates and positivity rates, but also asked chief ministers to do weekly reviews of containment zones to ensure that the management strategy is not caught up in a historical bind and the list of containment zones is dynamic.
He asserted that a weekly review at the highest level in the state will ensure the matter gets the attention it deserves, and the list is updated regularly to reflect the changing spread of the disease.
“The home minister emphasised the need to do more RT-PCR tests, he also reiterated something that has been shared with states on many earlier occasions too — that is the need to do facility-wise death analysis on a daily basis. This, he asserted, will help (them) understand the disease better and also help in managing it,” a source present in the meeting said.
Also read: 8 Covid vaccines that look most likely to lead us out of pandemic — and where they stand
Delhi wants 1,000 beds, West Bengal GST money
At the meeting, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal raised the issue of pollution and how it compounded Delhi Covid problems, and asked for 1,000 more hospital beds in the national capital to tackle the current surge.
He also profusely thanked the central government and Home Minister Shah, who had stepped in twice — once in June and again during the current third wave in the capital — and vowed to work with the central government in defeating the pandemic.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee talked about how the state had tackled the pandemic well even after a slew of festivals, including Chhath and Durga Puja. She lamented that the central government had not released “adequate funds in favour of the states”.
“As far as West Bengal is concerned, the dues on account of GST (Goods and Service Tax) compensation to the tune of Rs 8,500 crore have accumulated; on the other hand, expenses on every account are increasing. The state has already spent around Rs 4,000 crore only on account of Covid management, but till now GOI (Government of India) has released only Rs 193 crore,” she said, according to statement released by the state government.
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot talked about how the state had increased testing while Puducherry CM V. Narayanasamy quizzed the PM on vaccine options and which one India will finally go with.
The Union health ministry, in a presentation during the review meeting with eight states, said that when numbers are compared for September-October and October-November, Delhi is the only state that has shown a 100 per cent increase month-on-month from 3,000 cases on average per day to 6,000 cases per day.
Also read: Modi govt reforms will ensure Covid doesn’t ruin India’s growth potential, CEA Subramanian says