On the eve of Maharashtra’s Foundation Day, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said in a televised address that the state has been able to contain the spread of Covid-19 due to the restrictions and lockdown imposed recently.
Thackeray defended his decision of a lockdown, stating that the state was able to contain the growth of Covid-19 positive cases due to it. “Our estimate was that there might be 10 lakh positive active patients, but now it is 7 lakh cases. There is no need for a stricter lockdown in the state,” he said, adding, “I had promised the restrictions would perhaps impact rozi, but I assured it would not impact roti. I am open to taking suggestions from other states that may have done better in some aspects. There is nothing wrong in following what has worked for them.”
The Maharashtra CM also warned against a third
On the eve of Maharashtra’s Foundation Day, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said in a televised address that the state has been able to contain the spread of Covid-19 due to the restrictions and lockdown imposed recently.
Thackeray defended his decision of a lockdown, stating that the state was able to contain the growth of Covid-19 positive cases due to it. “Our estimate was that there might be 10 lakh positive active patients, but now it is 7 lakh cases. There is no need for a stricter lockdown in the state,” he said, adding, “I had promised the restrictions would perhaps impact rozi, but I assured it would not impact roti. I am open to taking suggestions from other states that may have done better in some aspects. There is nothing wrong in following what has worked for them.”
The Maharashtra CM also warned against a third
On the eve of Maharashtra’s Foundation Day, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said in a televised address that the state has been able to contain the spread of Covid-19 due to the restrictions and lockdown imposed recently.
Thackeray defended his decision of a lockdown, stating that the state was able to contain the growth of Covid-19 positive cases due to it. “Our estimate was that there might be 10 lakh positive active patients, but now it is 7 lakh cases. There is no need for a stricter lockdown in the state,” he said, adding, “I had promised the restrictions would perhaps impact rozi, but I assured it would not impact roti. I am open to taking suggestions from other states that may have done better in some aspects. There is nothing wrong in following what has worked for them.”
The Maharashtra CM also warned against a third wave of the deadly infection but assured that the state will be able to tackle it when it comes. “There are successive coronavirus waves in various countries. The third wave will strike. The state has started preparations and it may not have a lethal impact on Maharashtra. We do not want to face any situation like the second wave. We will fight this coronavirus wave together like we did last year,” he said.
He also spoke of the increase in testing labs in the state. “We started with Kasturba and NIV as the only two labs for testing. Increasing our capacity significantly, we now have 609 labs. We had 3,744 ventilators last June. Now we have 11,713 in the state,” he informed.
“So far 1.58 crore people have been vaccinated in the state which is the highest in India. In testing and health facilities, we are at the top. But the state is also at top in the rise in Covid patients,” he remarked.
The Maharashtra CM on Friday further stated that everyone in the age group of 18 to 45 years old would be vaccinated and the state would bear the cost. “Our only request to the Centre is to provide an adequate number of vaccines to us. At present we have only 3 lakh vaccines. In May, we will get 18 lakh vaccine doses,” he said, saying that about 6 crore people will need 12 crore doses of the Covid vaccine.
“We are ready to pay a one-time sum to any vaccine manufacturer but no one is willing to supply such a large quantity of vaccines,” he said.
“I sent a letter to the PMO asking to allow every state to prepare their own apps to be connected with CoWIN for seamless vaccinations. If this happens, then more people would be vaccinated without any delay and chaos,” he shared.
Thackeray also mentioned that the state generates 1200 MT oxygen per day while its demand is 1700 MT per day. “We are bringing oxygen from other states,” he said.
He also said that the state currently demands 50,000 Remdesivir injections, and while the Centre has promised 43,000 injections per day, they are getting only 35,000 injections per day right now.
The Maharashtra CM also slammed the Opposition, without naming anyone in particular, for provoking people. He said he does not want to bring politics into Covid management.
Finally, the CM urged people not to gather in large numbers and follow proper distancing at vaccination centres to avoid the spread of the viral infection.