Andhra to double number of available hospital beds to treat COVID-19 patients

There are 35,000 COVID-19 patients in home isolation in the state, according to information furnished by the village and ward volunteers.
Healthcare workers at a Covid hospital
Healthcare workers at a Covid hospital
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Andhra Pradesh Covid command and control centre Chairman KS Jawahar Reddy has directed District Collectors and special officers to double the availability of beds from 18,000 to 37,000. Holding a video conference meeting with them on Tuesday, the former Special Chief Secretary (Health) instructed them to fully use the 4,000 ventilators available across the state. "Covid care centres (CCCs) should be quickly revived," Jawahar said Reddy, and also called for appointing nodal officers.

According to Jawahar Reddy, currently there are 35,000 COVID-19 patients in home isolation, according to the information furnished by the village and ward volunteers and as decided by the doctors. He said complete cooperation should be extended to ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists) and other health workers at all times for them to provide the medical services to the patients in home quarantine. As part of the state's efforts to trace out primary contacts, he said that 70,000 such people have to be tested for the virus.

Jawahar Reddy also said that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed all senior officials and doctors to monitor the situation at all times and solve the issues at hand quickly. Many District Collectors, meanwhile, stressed on the availability of oxygen, and Jawahar Reddy said that action will be taken towards centralised supply and distribution of oxygen. He also said the government will also talk to antiviral drugs suppliers for necessary action on that front.

Calling the Collectors to provide better health facilities, he said government machinery should work without any laxity.

On Wednesday, Andhra Pradesh reported 9,716 new COVID-19 cases, raising the overall tally of active cases to 60,208. Thirty-eight COVID-19 deaths were registered, taking the total official death toll in the state to 7,510. According to the CoWin dashboard, as of Wednesday, a total of 49,67,681 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in the state, of 7,10,992 were second doses. 

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