Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday will flag-off 1,088 vehicles of '108' and '104' ambulances, equipped with modern life support systems to provide quick and better medical attention.
For the first time, 26 neo-natal ambulances are also going to be inducted into the fleet of 412 new '108' ambulances, where 104 of them are advanced life support vehicles and 282 are basic life support vehicles, officials said.
In addition to these, to cater to the interior and remote villages, 676 Mobile Medical Units (MMU) of 104 emergency services are being introduced.
Meanwhile, 704 COVID-19 cases were added in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, taking the overall tally in the state to 14,595. A total of 7,897 patients are undergoing treatment. While 6,161 were in hospitals, 1,736 were in COVID care centres, according to official data.
Of the total 14,595 cases, health officials pointed out that 12,202 were residents of Andhra Pradesh while 1,997 were returnees from other states and 396 from other countries.
Since June 1, when Unlock 1.0 began, the state has witnessed a rapid surge in coronavirus infections as a staggering 10,919 cases were added this month, government data showed.
The surge in the local cases has also been not insignificant as 8,526 were added in the last 30 days.
Deputy Chief Minister (Health) A K K Srinivas (Nani), however, denied the containment measures failed to curb the spread of coronavirus in the state.
"We have been strictly implementing all guidelines stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Centre. Accordingly, we have been taking containment measures," Nani said.
He added people should be cautious and take all steps to prevent getting infected by the coronavirus.
IANS and PTI inputs