As part of its preparedness to tackle a possible third wave of COVID-19, which may affect children, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to establish three paediatric care centres in the state, at a cost of Rs 180 crore each. These health centres will be constructed in Vizag, Guntur and Tirupati. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who held a review meeting on June 7, Monday, said that authorities should raise awareness about the third wave and its effects on children with parents. He added that the ASHA and health workers should be educated and trained to test paediatric symptoms.
The Chief Minister said that all teaching hospitals should be equipped with a paediatric ward, to handle the crisis. Besides this, he also said that the paediatric wards should be established in Primary Health Centres and other health centres, wherever possible. He also said that the private children's hospitals should be alerted about a possible third wave.
The CM has directed officials to assume that the third wave has already set in and stock up the necessary medicines beforehand, and recruit an adequate number of doctors to manage the crisis. He said that the hospitals providing treatment to children should be identified for empanelling them. Focus should also be given to hospitals which are generating oxygen, he said.
The Chief Minister’s Office further said that COVID-19 cases in the state are on the decline. As per the latest medical bulletin issued on June 6, out of the 83,690 samples tested, the state recorded 8,976 cases and 90 deaths. East Godavari district in the state reported the highest number of cases, 1669, followed by Chittoor at 1232. Chittoor’s total COVID-19 case count now stands at 2,00,368, second to East Godavari which stands at 2,38,702. Chittoor, however, has the highest toll at 1,376 in the state. Its active caseload is now 16,979.
The remaining 10 districts reported less than 800 new cases each, with Vizianagaram contributing the lowest 298 in a day. Anantapur recorded 995, Krishna 726, Visakhapatnam 700, West Godavari 611, Guntur 578, Kadapa 523, Prakasam 506, Nellore 396, Srikakulam 381 and Kurnool 361.
Chittoor had 12 fresh Covid-19 fatalities, West Godavari nine, Anantapuramu, Guntur, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram eight each, Prakasam seven, East Godavari, Kurnool and SPS Nellore six each, Visakhapatnam and Krishna five each and Kadapa two in 24 hours.
As per the bulletin, among the total number of 17,58,339 positive cases, 16,23,447 have recovered. At present the state has 1,23,426 active cases. The death toll of the state stands at 11,466.