Lockdown again.

IMA seeks ‘limited continuous lockdown’ for non-essential areas

Maharashtra becomes 1st to cross 80 lakh-milestone of Covid jabs

Agency Report | New Delhi | 6 April, 2021 | 11:10 PM

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking all citizens above 18 years of age be vaccinated and that a limited period continuous lockdown be implemented, especially for all the non-essential areas like cinemas, cultural and religious events, and sports.

In the letter to Modi, IMA President Dr J.A. Jayalal stated that in spite of the extraordinary efforts of the Government and the modern medical fraternity altruistic services, the pandemic second wave surge is touching record heights.

On Tuesday, India recorded 96,982 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total tally to 1,26,86,049. This comes a day after daily cases breached one lakh mark. The country is registering a steady increase for the 27th day in row.

The IMA put forth six requests before the Prime Minister, including that all citizens above 18 years of age shall be permitted to receive Covid vaccination, and walk-in Covid vaccination should be available for all, free of cost at their nearest possible place.

“As there is acute spurt of this disease as a measure to immediate break the chain, limited period continuous lock down should be implemented especially for all the non-essential areas like cinema, cultural and religious events, sports,” it demanded.

It also called for private sector family clinics to be included actively in the vaccination drive along with private hospitals, adding that availability of vaccination with all doctors and family physicians will have positive impact.

In the letter, which is also marked to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Niti Aayog Member (Health) V.K. Paul, the IMA requested that a district level vaccine task force team should be constituted to enforce mass vaccination, monitoring and mitigating the adverse drug events.

It also sought that vaccination certificate shall be made mandatory for entering public places and receiving products under the public distribution system.

Amid the raging Covid-19 scourge, Maharashtra has become the first state in India to cross the landmark 80,00,000 vaccination jabs from January 16 till date, according to official data released here on Tuesday.

The state — which has the highest number of corona cases and fatalities — has achieved a total vaccination of 81,27,248, including 72,98,206 people who have taken their first jab and 8,29,042 second dose.

Next on the list are Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal with the maximum number of people given the jabs till now.

Gujarat has notched a total 76,89,507 (68,17,703 first dose and 8,71,804 second dose), Rajasthan tally is 72,99,305 (64,00,581 and 8,98,724).

They are followed by Uttar Pradesh with a total of 71,98,372 (60,71,090 and 11,27,282) and West Bengal with a tally of 65,41,370 (57,91,392 and 7,49,978).

Among the smaller states are: Mizoram (73,566), Sikkim (83,797), Puducherry (85,421) and Nagaland (86,221).

Expectedly, the lowest on the list are the islands or centrally-administered regions like: Lakshadweep Isles, (8,196), Union Territory of Daman & Diu (22,989), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (25,217), Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli (26,133).

In Maharashtra, of the total doses, Mumbai leads with 14,10,537 taking the jabs, followed by Pune with 11,14,040 people getting the doses, across all categories and age groups as mandated by the Centre.

Both Mumbai and Pune rank nationally among the Covid-19 mega-hotspots with the maximum number of infections and deaths, causing huge concerns, even as the state retreated into a night-curfew, daytime stringent norms and a weekend lockdown regime since April 5 to check the pandemic spread.

Mumbai has recorded 4,62,560 cases tally and 11,800 fatalities while Pune has notched 5,84,969 infections tally and 8,440 deaths till date, and Maharashtra’s figures are a stupendous 30,57,885 cases and 56,033 deaths.

As the number of youngsters getting hit by Covid increases in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to include youth above 25 years in the national vaccination programme.