With an aim to contain the further spread of second wave of Covid in the state, the Chief Secretary Ms Vini Mahajan on Saturday ordered to vaccinate all persons above 45 years of age within this month.
She directed the Administrative Secretary in-charge of each district to oversee the planning and response system.
Chairing a high-level meeting to review the Covid vaccination and management in the state here, the Chief Secretary
directed all deputy commissioners, police commissioners and district police chiefs to focus on reducing the mortality rate and make efforts to increase the contact tracing, testing as well as to enhance the vaccination drive exponentially to take Punjab out of the present critical situation.
Ms Mahajan stressed that the Covid norms should be strictly enforced in order to contain the number of cases, which increased exponentially in the past week in Punjab.
She expressed concern on the reports that majority of people were still not wearing masks at social, political and religious gatherings, which could turn the Covid situation more disastrous in the state.
Taking stock of the present situation with the DCs, CPs, SSPs and civil surgeons, the Chief Secretary was informed that approximately 10 lakh people have been inoculated so far and state plan was to vaccinate 32 lakh citizens in the coming two weeks.
She instructed the state machinery to increase the testing capacity to 60,000 tests per day so as that the situation of Covid could be controlled timely.
Ms Mahajan directed the district administrations to collect the samples of the Covid patients at the earliest and provide the results as soon as possible so that the positive patients should make themselves quarantined immediately.
She desired that the doctors and health workers should visit the patients in isolation and proper guidance should be provided to the patients whether there was a need for any medication and further investigations.
She motivated the doctors to work with utmost sincerity in this difficult situation.
The Chief Secretary asked the district administrations to rope in non-governmental organizations and other civil society groups for motivating the people to take the jab without any hesitancy.
She directed the administrations to send the samples thrice a day to the laboratories to enhance the Covid testing and results of the tests should be made available swiftly to the patients.
