Central team expresses satisfaction over Kerala's COVID management

The central team,which was deputed to support public health interventions forCOVID-19 management in Kerala, on Monday held talks with thestate health minister and expressed satisfaction over thesteps taken by the government to tackle the situation.

A team, headed by the Director of the NationalCentre for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr S K Singh, has beendeputed after around 40,000 new cases were logged in the statein the first week of January, and around 5,000 new cases areadded daily to the state's COVID-19 tally.

''We held a discussion with the central team today.

They expressed satisfaction in the steps taken by the stategovernment in tacking the COVID-19 pandemic. They haveevaluated the situation in the field and at the official leveland will submit a report accordingly,'' Health minister K KShailaja said in a release.

The team had reached the state on January 7 andinitially visited the bird flu-affected regions of the state.

''We have requested the central team to allot alaboratory in Kerala to test the samples for avian flu.We hopethe centre will accept our request,'' the minister said.

As the central government announced the date forthe rollout of vaccine for COVID-19, Shailaja said the stategovernment has finalised the list of 133 vaccination centresin the state.

The minister said Ernakulam district will have 12vaccination centres, followed by Thiruvananthapuram andKozhikode with 11 each.

''Rest of the districts will have nine vaccinationcentres.The state government is making use of the primaryhealth centres, the medical colleges, private hospitals amongothers for the vaccination drive,'' the minister said.

Shailaja said web casting has been arranged at allthe vaccination centres and arrangements have been made toprovide vaccine to 100 people a day.

''A waiting area, vaccination room and an observationroom has been arranged at each centre following strict COVID-19 health protocol.Till now, 3,59,549 people have registeredfor vaccination in the state,'' the minister said in a release.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announcedthat the country will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drivefrom January 16 and said it would the world's largestinoculation programme with priority to be given to nearlythree crore healthcare and frontline workers.PTI RRT BNWELCOME BNWELCOME