Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Students who want to go abroad for studies from Punjab will now be prioritised in the Covid vaccination process in the 18-44 age group, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said Monday.
The CM directed the Health and Medical Education departments to allow districts to use up to 10 per cent doses for 18-45 group for priority categories other than those approved at state level. The move will help students going to countries where universities require them to be vaccinated.
Besides students seeking to go abroad, caregivers of elderly persons and other urgent priority groups may be included in this list, he added.
The state had initially prioritised construction labour, individuals with comorbidities and families of healthcare workers in the 18-44 age group, and has already vaccinated over 4.3 lakh individuals in these categories.
The list was subsequently expanded to include shopkeepers and their staff, staff working in the hospitality industry, industrial workers; street vendors especially those serving food items-juice, chat, fruit etc., delivery boys, LPG distribution boys; bus drivers, conductors, auto/ cab drivers; and local body leaders — mayors, councillors, sarpanches, panches.
Welcomes free vaccine policy for all
Amarinder said the Centre’s decision to take over the vaccine procurement and distribution will help states facing problems in securing anti-Covid jabs. “Good that Centre has decided to take over vaccine procurement & distribution for the whole country for all age groups. I had personally written to @narendramodi ji on this issue twice suggesting this as the only solution to managing #CovidVaccine crisis,” he tweeted.
“The move will help Punjab & other states facing problems in sourcing vaccine to ensure early vaccination of their people. It’ll also bring much-needed pricing parity – a necessity in pandemic times. I am glad PM @narendramodi has conceded our request,” he said in another tweet.
Full credit of earned leave
Taking cognisance of the exceptional commitment and hard work of the medical college faculty fighting against the Covid pandemic for the past more than one year, Amarinder announced full credit of earned leave in lieu of their cancelled vacations.
The medical college faculty have not been able to avail their summer and winter vacation during the pandemic period, and would have been deprived of this facility, the Chief Minister pointed out. These faculty members need to be compensated for their service and sacrifice, the CM said, adding that the government had decided to give them full credit against their 30 days of annual earned leave period against their cancelled vacation periods.
256 black fungus cases under treatment
Referring to the spread of black fungus (mucormycosis), the CM said there are currently 381 cases of mucormycosis in the state, of which 38 have already been cured and 265 are undergoing treatment. There is an adequate supply of drugs for treatment, he assured the people, adding that his government would continue to augment the supplies and ensure that there is no shortage of any essential drug in the state.
For better management of cases, the CM asked the departments to reduce testing time.
Post-Covid complications should be studied carefully for better preparation to handle those, he said, citing the example of Flying Sikh Milkha Singh, who was discharged after Covid recovery but had to be again hospitalised. He said he had been informed that 20 per cent of patients in hospitals in Patiala are similar cases of recovered patients being readmitted.
Punjab’s Covid Expert Group head Dr K K Talwar informed the meeting that almost 30 per cent Covid patients are having post Covid complications and continue to be symptomatic.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
