Districts should be ready on all fronts for third wave, says Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar

PUNE: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said all the districts had been told to check the highest number of active cases during the first and the second wave of Covid-19 and ramp up the health infrastructure, including oxygen, beds and medicines, for the possible third wave.
The district is estimated to have 1,87,644 cases in the third wave, according to the models released.
Ajit Pawar said learning from the experience from Iran, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Spain, South Africa and UK, there was a need to create enough capacity.
The assessment was being done of cases during the peak of both the first and the second wave so that citizens did not face any difficulties in finding beds in case the third wave hits Maharashtra, he said.
Against the backdrop of experts’ warning that the possible third wave might commence by August, Ajit Pawar said the administration would have to keep themselves ready on all fronts.
“We are trying to increase the oxygen- and ventilator-supported beds by three times,” he said.
On vaccination, Ajit Pawar said Pune district was carrying out inoculation according to the availability of doses.
He said that Maharashtra had been demanding more vaccine supply to streamline the drives.