PM Modi asks for COVID19 vaccination in northeast to be accelerated as cases surge
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed on accelerating the vaccination drive in the northeastern states as several states such as Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura are witnessing a rise in COVID19 cases.
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. Photo: @narendramodi/twitter
Amid concerns over rising COVID19 cases in the northeastern states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed the officials to accelerate the vaccination process.
“Northeast too has the same importance and we need to keep accelerating the vaccination process,” PM Modi was quoted as saying in the press statement issued by the Press Information Bureau.
In order to bust the myths related to COVID19 vaccination and mobilising people, PM Modi asked officials to enlist the help of social, educational institutes, celebrities and also the religious groups.
Referring to the recent cabinet approval of Rs 23,000 crore (Rs 230 billion) package for improving the infrastructure for testing and treatment in the northeast, Modi said: “The package will help in strengthening the health infrastructure of Northeast. This package will expedite testing, diagnostics, and genome sequencing in Northeast.”
Lauding the efforts of people, health workers and the governments of the northeast in creating infrastructure for COVID treatment and vaccination despite the difficult terrain of the states, Modi also stressed on the need for ‘quickly’ increasing the number of beds, oxygen facilities and paediatric care infrastructure in the northeastern states.
As per the press statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, 150 oxygen plants are being established in the northeastern states through the PM-CARES (Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) fund.
The interaction was attended by the Chief Ministers of Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Assam.
Meanwhile, in the press briefing today, the Joint Secretary of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Lav Agarwal highlighted that the several states of northeastern India are witnessing a surge in COVID cases. These states include Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh.
As of July 13, Mizoram reported 590 COVID cases. Manipur, Tripura, and Arunachal reported 890, 566, and 566 cases, respectively. This data was shared by the health ministry in the media briefing today.