With the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic likely to affect children, District Collector V Vinay Chand has directed the officials and medical officers in Vizag to be ready to tackle the third wave. He had a review meeting on Friday morning, discussing measures to be taken for the third wave.
The Collector reviewed and ordered the government and private hospitals to get ready with sufficient oxygen beds, oxygen storage points and drugs for the treatment. He advised the hospital management to ensure that all hospitals have 100 percent of the beds with the oxygen facility. The District Medical Officer was told to issue notice to all notified hospitals in this regard. “Every hospital should be monitored by the health officials. In view of the fact that all the hospitals are consuming metric tons of Oxygen, they are told to make sufficient Oxygen available. A task force will be set up to monitor the Oxygen supply. Hospitals have been asked to give an estimate on the Oxygen requirement,” said Collector Chand.
General Manager of Industries Department Mr. Ramalingaraju was told to discuss with PSA about setting up Oxygen plants in the district. Community Health Centres in Vizag were told to make the necessary preparations for the third wave of the pandemic. The Collector told to prepare an action plan to increase the number of oxygen beds in government and private hospitals. Raising the issue of Covid-19 cases among children, the Collector instructed to set up necessary medical services for children including drugs, pediatric ventilators and necessary equipment for the Covid-19 affected children. Pediatric intensive care units for children aged between 0-5 and 5-10 years are to be set up in the CSR block, King George Hospital.
It may be recalled that during the first wave of the pandemic from April 2020 to March 31, around 36 children tested positive. In the second wave, around 38 children were affected in April and May. These children were treated at CSR block, King George Hospital. With the need for at least 5,000 beds for children, currently, there are only 2,000 beds available for children in government and private hospitals in the district.
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