All possible support to be provided to West Bengal to deal with Covid crisis: Harsh Vardhan

NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saying that the Narendra Modi government stands resolute to provide all support to the state in order to help it effectively fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

He however also urged Banerjee, who also holds the health portfolio in the state, to ramp up testing, mainly in districts reporting over 40% test positivity rate.

His response comes in the wake of the West Bengal CM shooting a letter to the PM in which she requested him to allow free of cost Covid-19 vaccination for all and also pleaded for the adequate supply of essential drugs and hiking medical oxygen to her state.

Vardhan said in his letter that the state has been supplied with over 1.18 crore doses so far while 2 lakh more doses are lined up for immediate supply.

It was stated in the letter that the quantity of doses available for “other than government of India channel” was worked out on a state wise population of 18-44 years pro rata and it had already been conveyed to the state at the end of April.

The letter also said that the state had been allocated 308 MT of oxygen from April 25 and out of 1, 27,000 oxygen cylinders that the Centre will procure, 700 will be delivered to Bengal this month.

The Centre, according to the letter, has sanctioned 5 PSA oxygen plants for the state out of which 2 are already functional.