PM holds a high level meeting on oxygen supply & availability

Read Press Release on 1. PM holds a high level meeting on oxygen supply and availability 2. Yoga and Naturopathy to aid the Psychosocial Rehabilitation of Covid-19 Patients 3. Drone use permission to ICMR for conducting feasibility study of Covid-19 vaccine delivery 4. Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman says Government is working arduously for smooth co-ordination between States, hospitals and suppliers of oxygen and vaccines to give relief to people in fight against COVID-19 pandemic 5. Serum Institute of India (SII) has NOT contracted all its production of COVID vaccine to the Centre till 25th May 2021 6. Oxygen Expresses getting prepared to leave with Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) from Visakhapatnam and Bokaro today for Maharashtra and UP respectively and 7. India’s Cumulative Vaccination Coverage exceeds13.23 Crores.

1. PM holds a high level meeting on oxygen supply and availability

PM Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the oxygen supply across the country and discuss ways and means to boost its availability. The officials briefed him on the efforts undertaken in the last few weeks to improve the supply of oxygen.

PM spoke about the need to work rapidly on multiple aspects: increasing production of oxygen, increasing the speed of distribution & using innovative ways to provide oxygen support to health facilities.

PM was informed that an elaborate exercise is being done in co-ordination with the states to identify their demand for oxygen and ensure adequate supply accordingly. PM was briefed on how oxygen supply to states is steadily increasing. Against the present demand from 20 states of 6,785 MT/ day of Liquid Medical Oxygen, Government of India has from 21st April, allocated 6,822 MT/ day to these states.

It was noted that in the last few days, availability of Liquid Medical Oxygen has been increased by about 3,300 MT/ day with contributions from private and public steel plants, industries, oxygen manufacturers as well as through prohibition of supply of oxygen for non-essential industries.

Officers informed the PM that they are working together with the states to operationalize the sanctioned PSA oxygen plants as soon as possible.

PM directed the officials to ensure that oxygen supply to various states happen in a smooth, unhindered manner. He spoke about the need to fix responsibility with the local administration in cases of obstruction. He also asked ministries to explore various innovative ways to increase production & supply of oxygen.

Various measures are being undertaken to rapidly increase the availability of cyrogenic tankers through conversion of nitrogen and argon tankers, import and airlifting of tankers as well as manufacturing them.

PM stressed on the need to ensure faster transportation of oxygen to the states. It was discussed that Railways is being used for rapid and non-stop long distance transport of tankers. First rake has reached from Mumbai to Vizag to transport 105 MT of LMO. Similarly, empty oxygen tankers are also being air-lifted to Oxygen suppliers to reduce one way journey time in oxygen supply.

Representatives from the medical community also spoke about the need for judicious use of oxygen and how an audit in some states has decreased oxygen demand without affecting the condition of patients.

PM also stressed that the states should come down heavily on hoarding.

The meeting was attended by Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to PM, Home Secretary, Health Secretary & Officials from Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Minstry of Road Transport, Pharmaceuticals, NiTi Aayog.

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2. Yoga and Naturopathy to aid the Psychosocial Rehabilitation of Covid-19 Patients

The crisis brought in by the COVID-19 pandemic looms large, and its current resurgence has increased stress and anxiety among the public. COVID-19 is not only affecting the physical health of people but is also impacting the psychological or mental health of the patients and even their family members.

Realising the importance and need of psychological care along with the physical treatment, three premier institutions have come together to develop a Protocol for Psychosocial Rehabilitation of COVID-19 Patients. These 3 eminent institutions are: the Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy (CCRYN), an autonomous body of the Ministry of Ayush, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru and the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA).  The release of this protocol is scheduled to take place on 23 April 2021 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am through a virtual event. The event will be presided over by Dr. HR Nagendra Chancellor, S-VYASA, Bengaluru. This will be followed by an Online Workshop for BNYS Practitioners in which they will be trained in the protocol.

The workshop will also address the enhanced the burden on the healthcare workforce in our country, from the perspective of the Naturopathy Sector.  The healthcare institutions in parts of our country have been overwhelmed by the sheer burden of Covid 19 cases. It has reportedly become a challenge under these circumstances to pay attention to every individual patient.

As per reports, the accompanying psychologic distress in covid 19 patients are often ignored and not managed. There have also been reports of anxiety and acute depression leading to suicides in Covid care hospitals.  Many of the patients, according to inputs coming in from different countries, have had to contend with isolation anxiety and distress due to fear of worsening of symptoms. Complications like respiratory distress, hypoxia, fatigue and insomnia and other symptoms have also been observed. Interventions Yoga and Naturopathy systems have shown effectiveness in facilitating recovery of Covid 19 patients. Simple breathing exercises and pranayama have been seen to enhance SPO2 levels in symptomatic patients and those with respiratory distress.  Preliminary reports from studies conducted by CCRYN also validate these findings.

The current protocol is a collaborative effort to address these symptoms and psychologic sequele of Covid 19 patients. The online workshop will help impart knowledge about epidemiology of Covid19, course of disease, screening for distress and psychologic sequele, management of distress and psychologic sequele using Yoga and Naturopathy approaches.

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3. Drone use permission to ICMR for conducting feasibility study of Covid-19 vaccine delivery

Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have granted conditional exemption to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for conducting feasibility study of Covid-19 vaccine delivery using drones in collaboration with IIT Kanpur. The permission exemption is valid for a period of one year or until further orders.

 Furthermore, conditional drone use exemption has been granted to the below entities for said purposes for a period of one year or until further orders:

Nagar Nigam of Dehradun, Haldwani, Haridwar & Rudrapur for preparation of GIS based property database & electronic tax register.

West Central Railway, (WCR) Kota for train accident site & maintaining safety & security of the railway assets for a period of one year from the date of issue of the letter.

West Central Railway, (WCR) Katni for train accident site & maintaining safety & security of the railway assets for a period of one year from the date of issue of the letter.

In addition to these, Vedanta Ltd. (Cairn Oil & Gas) also received the conditional drone usage exemption for data acquisition for asset inspecting & mapping till 08/04/2022.

These exemptions shall be valid only if all conditions and limitations as stated for the respective entities are strictly adhered to. In case of violation of any condition, the exemption shall become null and void and action may be initiated by MoCA & DGCA. The links of the public notice of the drone usage permission grant to the aforementioned entities can be accessed from the MoCA website.

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4. Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman says Government is working arduously for smooth co-ordination between States, hospitals and suppliers of oxygen and vaccines to give relief to people in fight against COVID-19 pandemic

Provision of oxygen, vaccines and their logistics to people affected by coronavirus is being ensured, given the recent surge in cases of COVID-19 pandemic across the country. This was stated by Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a virtual session organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here today.

Speaking at the event, Smt. Sitharaman mentioned that the Government is reviewing and monitoring the situation regularly and working arduously for a better co-ordination between States, hospitals and suppliers of oxygen and vaccines to match the demand and supply in the country.

The Finance Minister stated that the Prime Minister himself is monitoring the situation with eminent doctors and vaccine manufacturers. The import of vaccines, certified by international bodies has been allowed in India;  support is being extended to manufacturers by the Government by way of giving advances and vaccination drive against coronavirus has been allowed for people aged 18 years and above from 1st May 2021, She added.

Smt. Sitharaman said a slew of announcements have been made in regard to the drug Remdesivir and custom duty has been waived and quantity for export has been held back for use in country considering the requirement of Remdesivir injection.

These announcements are expected to increase the availability of the injection, the Finance Minister said.

For oxygen supply, the government is identifying idle manufacturing capacities to match the demand and supply in the country, Smt. Sitharaman said.

Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman said that the way forward to tackle the current situation is through micro containment zone so that life and livelihood can be protected.

Sh. Sanjay Aggarwal, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the Central Government had last year acted swiftly and extended the timelines for compliances under various corporate laws and the same steps and support measures are required this year also.

The Union Finance Minister assured that the valuable inputs received from PHD chambers of Commerce and Industry will be considered for the industrial and economic growth of the country.

Former presidents, senior managing committee members and members from industry also participated in the virtual interactive session with the Union Finance Minister

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5. Serum Institute of India (SII) has NOT contracted all its production of COVID vaccine to the Centre till 25th May 2021

State Governments are free to procure COVID vaccine doses from the vaccine manufacturers as per the Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy

There have been some media reports suggesting that Serum Institute of India (SII) has contracted all its production till 25th May 2021 to the Centre, and therefore till that date the State governments will not be able to procure vaccine from SII.

These media reports are based on incorrect facts and are without any basis.

In order to expand and liberalise the countrywide vaccination drive, the Union Government has on 19th April 2021 announced the Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy which would come into effect from 1st May 2021.

A key feature of the Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy is that  the “Vaccine manufacturers would supply 50% of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) released doses to Govt. of India and would be free to supply remaining 50% doses to State Governments and in the other than Govt. of India channel”. The State governments are free to purchase the vaccine doses from the vaccine manufacturers.

Therefore, it is very clear that every month out of the total CDL cleared doses available with any vaccine manufacturer, 50% doses would be available for other than Government of India channels.

The strategy is available at: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/LiberalisedPricingandAcceleratedNationalCovid19VaccinationStrategy2042021.pdf

Press release at: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1712710 (19th April 2021)

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6. Oxygen Expresses getting prepared to leave with Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) from Visakhapatnam and Bokaro today for Maharashtra and UP respectively .

A Green Corridor was created from Lucknow to Varanasi covering the distance of 270km in 4h20m with an average speed of 62.35kmph

Green Corridors helping in fast movement of Oxygen Express.

Indian Railway is running Oxygen Express in response to its fight against Covid-19.

First Oxygen Express with Liquid Medical Oxygen(LMO) tankers is going to start its journey for Mumbai from Visakhapatnam tonight. Tankers filled with LMO at Visakhapatnam are being transported through Ro-Ro service of Indian Railways.

Another Oxygen Express started its journey from Lucknow to Bokaro via Varanasi to fulfil the requirements of Medical Oxygen in Uttar Pradesh. For the movement of the train, a green corridor was created between Lucknow to Varanasi. The distance of 270 Km was covered by the train in 4 hours 20 minutes with an average speed of 62.35 kmph.

Transportation of Oxygen through Trains is faster over long distances than road transport. Trains can run 24 hours in a day but a truck drivers need to take halts etc.

It may please be noted that to facilitate loading/unloading of tankers in/from flat wagons, a ramp is required. Also, due to restrictions of height of Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and Over Head Equipment (OHE) at certain locations, out of the various specifications of road tankers, the model of road tanker T 1618 with height of 3320 mm was found feasible to be placed on flat wagons (DBKM) with height of 1290 mm.

Railways transported essential commodities and kept the supply chain intact even during the lockdown last year and continue to serve the Nation in times of emergencies.

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

7. India’s Cumulative Vaccination Coverage exceeds13.23 Crores

More than 22 Lakh Vaccine Doses administered in the last 24 hours

5 States account for 60% of India’s total Active Caseload

More than 1.78 Lakh Recoveries in the last 24 hours

Posted On: 22 APR 2021

The cumulativenumber of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country hascrossed13.23 Cr today as part of the world’s largest vaccination drive.

Cumulatively, 13,23,30,644vaccine doses have been administered through 19,28,118 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today.These include 92,19,544HCWs who have taken the 1st dose and 58,52,071HCWs who have taken the 2nd dose, 1,16,32,050FLWs (1stdose), 59,36,530FLWs (2nddose), 4,78,67,1181st dose beneficiaries and 57,60,3312nd dose beneficiaries more than 60 years old and 4,44,28,884(1st dose) and 16,34,116(2nd dose) beneficiaries aged 45 to 60 years.

Eight states account for 59.25% of the cumulative doses given so far in the country.

Over 22 lakh vaccination doses were administered in the last 24 hours.

As on Day-96 of the vaccination drive (21st April, 2021), 22,11,334vaccine doses were given.15,01,704 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 35,499 sessions for 1st dose and 7,09,630 beneficiaries received 2nd dose of vaccine

3,14,835new cases were registered in the last 24 hours.

Ten States including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka,Kerala,Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat andRajasthan report75.66% of the new cases.

Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 67,468. It is followed by Uttar Pradesh with 33,106 while Delhi reported 24,638 new cases.

Twelve states, as shown under, are displaying an upward trajectory in daily new cases.

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The graph below highlights the increasing trend of daily positivity rate and daily tests in India.

India’s total Active Caseload has reached 22,91,428. It now comprises 14.38% of the country’s total Positive Cases. A net incline of 1,33,890 cases recorded from the total active caseload in the last 24 hours.

The five States of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala cumulatively account for 59.99% of India’s total Active Cases

India’s cumulative recoveries stand at 1,34,54,880 today. The National Recovery Rate is 84.46%.

1,78,841 recoveries were registered in the last 24 hours.

The National Mortality Rate has been falling and currently stands at 1.16%.

2,104 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

Ten States account for 81.08% of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (568). Delhi follows with 249 daily deaths.

NineStates/UTs have not reported any COVID19 deaths in the last 24 hours. These are Ladakh (UT), D&D & D&N,Tripura, Sikkim,Mizoram,Lakshadweep, Nagaland, A&N Islands and Arunachal Pradesh.

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MV

HFW/COVID States data/22ndApril2021/1

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