SHILLONG, Nov 16: Health Minister, James PK Sangma on Tuesday said the Health department has not lowered its guard against the pandemic and on the contrary, is preparing to fight a possible third wave.
Stating that the state is still recording some cases as well as deaths, he said the department is 
constantly monitoring the situation.
“We are in that mode now and we hope the third wave does not come. None the less, we are preparing to face any eventualities,” he said.
“There is a drive going on to reach out to the unvaccinated people and convince them to come forward for the jabs. We are also making sure if the cases of infection turn out to be serious in nature, we have enough beds and oxygen to deal with the situation,” the minister said.
The work for the prefabricated COVID Care Centres in Shillong and Tura is in progress and it will be completed soon, Sangma said.
On the government’s push to achieve 100% vaccination before Christmas, he said, “I am hopeful that we will achieve that milestone. This is something we should all strive for. We hope that people will come forward.”
Asked about adherence to the COVID protocols given that the festive season is approaching, the Minister said, “We always try to maintain vigil to make sure people follow the norms enforced by the government.”
He added: “It is unfortunate that sometimes there will be large gatherings and the protocols are not followed. I would appeal to people to not let their guard down as we don’t know how things will unfold in the near future.”
He advised them to maintain vigil and help control the virus spread.
34 fresh cases, one death
The state on Tuesday recorded 34 fresh COVID-19 cases while one more patient succumbed to the viral infection in the past 24 hours taking the death toll in the state to 1465.
The active tally now stands at 263 while 82 352 people have recovered from the viral infection including 25 on the day.
19 new cases were reported in East Khasi Hills, six in West Jaintia Hills, four in West Garo Hills, two each in East Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills and one from Ri Bhoi.