Covid-19 threat is not fully gone yet, PM Narendra Modi tells CMs amid fourth wave scare

Amid rising coronavirus infections in India, PM Modi interacted with several chief ministers, including Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Bhupesh Baghel and Bhagwant Mann.

New Delhi: Amid the rising number of Covid-19 infections in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (April 27, 2022) interacted with chief ministers on the emerging coronavirus situation in the country. 

During the virtual interaction, PM Modi asserted that it is clear that the threat of the virus is not fully gone yet, according to a PTI news agency report.

He also said that the Covid-19 vaccination of all eligible children at the earliest is a priority for the government and specialised programs will need to be conducted for it in schools.

The prime minister cited a recent spike in Covid-19 infections in some states and said that there was a need to remain alert.

"Our scientists and experts are continuously monitoring the national and global situation. We have to work on their suggestions with a pre-emptive, pro-active, and collective approach," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

"We have to implement our strategy of Test, Track and Treat equally effectively. In the current situation of coronavirus, it is necessary that we have 100 per cent RT-PCR test for patients admitted in hospitals who are serious influenza cases," PM Modi added.

Speaking at a meeting with Chief Ministers. https://t.co/WyeQyQS0UQ — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 27, 2022

Asserting that the coronavirus vaccine is the biggest protective shield against the virus, he said that the Covid-19 vaccination of all eligible children at the earliest is a priority for the government and specialised programmes will need to be conducted in schools.

He also said that awareness of parents and children is very important in this regard.

Prime Minister Modi also called for scaling up infrastructure and manpower at medical colleges and district hospitals.

"It's a matter of pride for every citizen that 96% of our adult population has been vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine and 85 % of the eligible population above 15 years of age inoculated with the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine," he said.

Several chief ministers, including Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Chhattisgarh's Bhupesh Baghel, and Punjab's Bhagwant Mann, participated in the interaction.

Meanwhile, India recorded 2,927 fresh infections in a day which pushed the active case tally to 16,279, according to Union Health Ministry data on Wednesday.

With 32 more fatalities, the death toll also climbed to 5,23,654, the data updated at 8 am showed.

(With agency inputs)