Ramp up vaccination to deal with 3rd wave: SC tells Centre

Relatives of coronavirus victims mourn at Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, Punjab, on Thursday. Pic/PTI

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the central government to beef up vaccination against Covid-19, create buffer stock of medical oxygen and make all other necessary measures to deal with the third wave, which experts have warned is inevitable.

Construction work for the Central Vista project, which includes a new home for PM, underway at Rajpath in New Delhi on Thursday. Pic/PTI

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah told the Centre to make preparations in a scientific way. "We may enter stage three and if we prepare today, we may be able to handle it. Whatever stocks procured needs to be sent to the hospitals. It's not about allocating it to the state but also the logistics to see that it is distributed to hospitals," Bar and Bench quoted Justice Chandrachud as saying.

He also suggested the Centre to consider involving MBBS graduates who are waiting to enrol for post graduation. "Today we have 1.5 lakh doctors who have finished medical course but waiting for NEET exam. How do you tap them? 1.5 lakh doctors and 2.5 lakh nurses are sitting at home. They will be crucial for third wave."

The SC was hearing the Centre's plea against Delhi High Court's show-cause notice for contempt for not supplying 700 MT of oxygen to Delhi as instructed by the apex court earlier. On the Centre's formula of allocating oxygen according to the number of ICU beds and hospital admissions, the SC said there are patients in home isolation who also need oxygen or other medical care. "Your formula needs a relook. When you prepared the formula not everybody who went to ICU needed oxygen. But now many home isolation patients need oxygen. Your formula does not take into account ambulances etc," it said.

In another hearing, the SC refused to stop the media from reporting the Madras High Court's observations, holding the Election Commission responsible for the Covid-19 surge. "It will be retrograde to restrain HCs from making observations or gagging media from reporting observations," it said.

Meanwhile, former RBI governor C Rangarajan said the Centre needs to take the responsibility of vaccinating the entire nation as part of the measures to control the pandemic. "Vaccination is important. It has to be universal. Therefore it is the responsibility of the government and I would say the central government to take on itself the expenditure which are to be incurred in terms of vaccinating the people," he said. India has reportedly fully vaccinated only 2 per cent of the population. India hit a record daily high with 4,12,262 new cases and 3,980 deaths registered on Wednesday.

RLD chief Ajit Singh dies of COVID; Kerala police book 480 priests for violation

>> Former Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh passed away at a Gurgaon hospital on Thursday morning battling Covid-19, his family said. The 82-year-old had tested positive on April 20.

>> As many as 480 priests belonging to the Church of South India in Kerala, a prominent denomination, have been booked for violating Covid-19 norms by organising and participating in a retreat at Munnar last month, police said on Thursday. Over 100 priests had been infected and two vicars had succumbed to it.

>> The very infectious strains of Coronavirus, B.1.617 and B.1, are currently found in the Covid-19 positive patients in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana and spreading fast in younger age groups too, the Andhra Pradesh Health Department said.

>> An oxygen plant has been installed at the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, whose director Dr Rana AK Singh said, "This plant will produce 960 liters of oxygen/minute." Meanwhile, a medical oxygen generation plant, sent by Italy to tackle the Covid-19 health emergency in India and can support 100 patients at one time, was operationalised at a CAPF hospital located in Greater Noida on Thursday. Delhi saw a staggering 1,349 per cent jump in the number of its Covid-19 containment zones in the past one month.

2,10,77,410
Total no. of coronavirus cases in India so far

2,30,168
Total no. of deaths due to the virus in India so far

1,72,80,844
Total no. of patients recovered and discharged in India so far

16,25,13,339
(Total no. of people vaccinated so far)

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