‘UT well equipped to handle resurgence of pandemic’
Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said on Friday that the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has been marked by increased hospitalization rates and far less severe symptoms in patients.
Presenting a status report on the COVID-19 situation in the Union Territory in the form of a virtual meeting convened by the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya with the Southern States/UTs, Mr Rangasamy said that the Union Territories Puducherry was well equipped with hospital beds, stock of medicine. and tools to deal with a resurgence of the pandemic in the near future.
The COVID-19 mortality rate was 1.2% and the hospitalization rate was 1.4%. Most of the third wave patients were recovering in home isolation. Mr. Rangasamy informed that in Puducherry alone, 1,301 oxygen beds and 125 ventilator beds are lying vacant in the health sector.
The Union Territory has achieved 88% vaccination coverage in the first dose and 60% in the second among the target adult population.
The Chief Minister said that apart from giving 6,728 precautionary doses, the government also vaccinated more than half of the target population in the 15-17 age group.
As part of augmenting the health infrastructure, the government had set up 1,945 isolation beds, 1,464 oxygen beds and 171 ventilator beds.
PWD Minister K. Lakshminarayanan and health director G. Sriramulu also participated.
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