SHILLONG, Dec 16: All India Trinamool Congress Meghalaya (AITC-M) spokesperson, Himalaya M Shangpliang on Thursday urged Health Minister, James PK Sangma to review the state’s preparedness to tackle the new Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.
“I would also suggest the Health Minister to take a review of the hospitals and medical facilities that are available in the state. We should ensure that we are not caught unawares in case the new variant spreads in the state,” Shangpliang told reporters.
Admitting that only two cases of Omicron have been detected in the Northeast so far, he urged the Health department not to be complacent and to start taking precautionary steps including vaccination of citizens.
“There are a lot of unvaccinated people. The government should encourage them to take the jab,” he said. The AITC-M spokesperson also said that people manning the check gates at Umling and other parts of the state should be very vigilant and active in checking people coming from outside the state, particularly those who have returned from abroad.
Pointing out that the Centre is contemplating to go for booster dose, Shangpliang said, “People who are fully vaccinated are likely to get the booster dose in due course of time once the Centre gives the approval.”
