Flagging the severe shortage of oxygen in the State, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Friday appealed to the Centre to allocate more quantum of oxygen and Remidesivir to Karnataka as the number of cases has seen an exponential increase in COVID-19 cases, and warned of shutdown of health care centres if the situation continues.
Providing a glimpse of the situation in Karnataka to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a virtual meeting of Chief Ministers, Mr. Yediyurappa said that the current positivity rate stood at 16 % in Karnataka, and urban centres such as Bengaluru, Mysuru, Tumakuru, Ballari, Hassan and Kalaburagi are among the worst affected. While 500 tonnes of oxygen has been consumed across the State on Thursday, the Chief Minister pointed out that 1,142 tonnes is estimated to be the demand by April 25, which is likely to go up to 1,471 tonnes by April 30. “However, the Centre has allocated only 300 tonnes of oxygen to Karnataka. If the same situation continues, several healthcare centres have to be closed down,” he told the Prime Minister. A note from the Chief Minister’s office said that he further urged Mr. Modi to allocate 1,471 tonnes of oxygen daily to Karnataka.
He also appealed to Mr. Modi to provide 2 lakh doses of Remdesivir over the next 10 days to ensure that there is no shortage of the drug in treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Mr. Yediyurappa also informed the Prime Minister about the measures implemented in the State to contain the spread of the virus by ensuring economic activities are also not hampered. He also said that the ramping up of infrastructure in the last six months had become handy now, and that the there is a proposal to start step down hospitals using hotel rooms in the vicinity of the hospitals. “We are also thinking of starting ICU-equipped field hospitals in the coming days,” he added. On efforts made in Bengaluru, the Chief Minister said that efforts towards containment of the virus in eight zones in Bengaluru are being coordinated by eight Ministers and senior IAS officers.
He also said that so far 82 lakh persons had received vaccination in the State, and efforts will be made for equal distribution of vaccines from May 1 when the new vaccination policy kicks in to enable the vaccines to all those 18 years and above.
