In view of the rising COVID-19 cases and threat of new J.N1 variant, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday, December 22, directed the Medical and Health Department officials to focus on the preparedness to handle the crisis.
The CM who held a review meeting with the officials directed them to keep village clinics, and village and ward secretariats on high alert to take preventive measures to reduce the cases.
The CM instructed senior officials to create awareness among the staff of village clinics and secretariats on identifying the features of the new variant and taking preventive measures. Officials told the CM that people who have contracted the new variant are recovering quickly without developing complications and without having to visit hospitals. The JN.1 variant is not serious like the delta variant, but is spreading fast and people showing symptoms are being made to undergo medical tests in government hospitals, they said.
The Chief Minister was further informed that rapid test kits and personal care kits are being kept at village, ward secretariats and government hospitals respectively. While necessary medicines, oxygen concentrators and D-type oxygen cylinders are made available at all hospitals, oxygen infrastructure is also being readied and oxygen can be supplied by running PSA plants wherever necessary, they said.
They informed him that samples of the people who tested positive are being sent to the genome sequencing lab in Vijayawada for further examination to identify new variants and 56,741 oxygen beds are also kept ready at various hospitals.