Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday (April 10) said that his government will purchase vaccines to continue the Covid vaccination drive in the state, even if it does not get the Centre’s support. The state government is fully alert to meet the challenges of Covid-19, CM Nitish said while chairing a meeting of senior officials to review the coronavirus situation. He said,
Bihar is conducting the highest number of Covid tests in the country. The country’s average is above six lakh tests per 10 lakh population. For Bihar, it is eight lakh samples per 10 lakh population. As the stock of Covid vaccines has finished in the state and the central government has so far not provided fresh stock, we will continue the vaccination drive in the state by purchasing vaccines from our own coffer.
The Covid-19 active cases have more than doubled in a week in Bihar. With 36 more people testing positive for the virus since Sunday, the number of active cases increased to 146, according to the Union Health Ministry’s latest figure.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), CM Nitish Kumar instructed the health department to remain alert and make all arrangements at hospitals for the treatment of patients. The chief minister said,
Covid cases are increasing again, mainly in Patna and four to five other districts. However, the situation is under control. In places like hospitals, wearing of masks is being reinforced.
Amid a spike in coronavirus cases, mock drills to take stock of hospital preparedness were held in Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Science in Patna during the day.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
