TURA, May 6: Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma, on Thursday said that the state government has set the target of mid-August to inoculate people over 18 years against COVID-19.
The chief minister announced this while reviewing COVID-19 preparedness with stakeholders during a meeting at Tura Circuit House. The meeting was also attended by members of COVID-19 management committees and church leaders.
The chief minister, during the meeting, informed that the prime focus for vaccination at present is in Shillong, Tura and Jowai. He also urged the stakeholders and health workers to mobilise and encourage people over 18 years to get vaccinated when the time comes.
Informing that Tura, Phulbari and Purakhasia in West Garo Hills are now COVID hotspots, Conrad asked the Health department to prepare the charts for blood graph and hospitalisation for daily monitoring to bring down the infection rate.
While talking about imposing restrictions, the chief minister asked the district administration to take into account the economic life of people.
He also stressed on the need to minimise the virus spread by putting restrictions on the movement of people, minimising social gathering and enforcing social distancing rigorously.
Saying that infrastructural expansion is the need of the hour to check the spread of virus, Conrad informed that the work order for Cryogenic Plant at Jengjal had been sanctioned and will be completed in 60 days.
Seeking cooperation and support from society, community leaders, church leaders, Nokmas, etc., the chief minister, during the meeting, mooted cluster-based community care centres to ensure safety of people.
North Tura MLA, Thomas A Sangma, on the other hand, suggested the Health department to open more vaccination centres in and around Tura to intensify vaccination and urged the police department to ensure that people wear face masks.
Earlier, West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Ram Singh, informed that he is in touch with his counterpart in Assam with regard to COVID-19 management.
The District Medical and Health Officer, during the meeting, highlighted arrangements in the hospitals for accommodating COVID-19 patients and informed that the positivity rate in West Garo Hills is 7 per cent. She also informed that 444 oxygen cylinders are available in Tura Civil Hospital and four to six B-type cylinders are required every day.