A senior official overseeing Maharashtra's response to COVID-19 has said the state government will approach the Centre to start the third phase of vaccinations, targeting those above 50 years of age and those with co-morbidities, before March.
Dr Subhash Salunkhe, state technical adviser, told The Times of India the Centre should not wait till March. “In Maharashtra and Kerala, where there is an increase in cases in pockets, the Union government should not wait till March. It must start vaccination of those above 50 years and those with co-morbidities earlier, so that the situation can be in control. When we have a primary tool for prevention and vaccine companies have assured us of adequate production, the Union government should act fast," Salunkhe told The Times of India on Friday.
"On the one hand, there is vaccine hesitancy among health and frontline workers, while on the other hand, senior citizens and people with co-morbidities are willing to take the vaccine. However, the Centre is in the process of framing guidelines for the IT platform and waiting for a formal announcement," Salunkhe said.
Salunkhe told The Times of India the Maharashtra government would seek intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fast-track vaccination approvals. Salunkhe told The Times of India "the Centre was responsible for poor planning and for its 'inappropriate public health strategy'".
After number of COVID-19 cases in the state fell since November, Maharashtra has been seeing a surge in cases in recent days. Maharashtra on Friday reported more than 6,000 new coronavirus infections in a single day for the first time after more than three months, indicating a worsening pandemic situation. As many as 6,112 fresh cases were reported during the day, most of them coming from Akola, Pune and Mumbai divisions, said an official of the state health department.
The state had reported more than 6,000 cases in a single day last on October 30, and the numbers had dropped steadily thereafter. The number of active cases in Maharashtra on Friday was 44,765. Maharashtra remains the state worst affected by COVID-19, having recorded a total of 20,87,632 cases and 51,713 fatalities.
Salunkhe told The Times of India the COVID-19 transmission rate is "tremendously high in Amravati, Akola and Yavatmal" and the situation required immediate intervention.
Temperature drop a culprit?
Meanwhile, a health official in Maharashtra told PTI on Friday that a sudden drop in temperature in some parts of the state last week could have been the cause of the COVID-19 surge.
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Temperatures in east Vidarbha started dipping due to moisture coming from the Bay of Bengal and this may have "helped the virus to spread with more speed, increasing the number of COVID-19 cases", he claimed.
However, non-adherence to outbreak protocol also played a significant role in the case surge, the official, on condition of anonymity, added.
(With PTI inputs)
