Ghaziabad, Jan 17 (FN Agency) The double engine government of Uttar Pradesh has provided the double dose of both Covid vaccines and ration to the poor since the pandemic started in March 2020, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on Monday. Addressing a press meet following a visit to Santosh Hospital at Ghaziabad in order to take stock of its preparations to tackle the third wave of the novel coronavirus, the UP CM said that the state has set a model within the country, as India has globally under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in terms of protecting lives and livelihood of people throughout the ongoing pandemic. CM Yogi said: “India has set a record by administering a total of 157 crore doses since January 16, 2021, when the vaccination drive was launched while UP has given the highest 23.15 crore doses in the country. In Uttar Pradesh, 94 per cent of the population has received the first dose whereas 60 percent has been given the second. In Ghaziabad alone, 98 per cent of its population has been given first dose while 69 percent has received the second also.”
According to the CM, 13,000 youths aged between 15 years and 17 years have also been given first dose of the vaccine. Yogi said that precautionary doses are also being given to frontline health workers. Yogi Adityanath added that the third wave though seemingly not as dangerous as the second, could prove to be risky particularly for the elderly, women and kids, and that people must avoid crowded places and wear masks to keep the virus away. The Chief Minister said that an awareness programme is also being run in UP to motivate people to follow the Covid protocol and those aged 15 years and above, who have not taken the vaccines, to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The CM added that the Government is monitoring the situation closely and the CM Helpline as well as the Integrated Covid Control Centre make 50,000 calls daily to keep track of suspected cases even as the state has more than one lakh active Covid cases of which over 10,000 cases are in Ghaziabad alone.
The CM, however, added that less than one percent of the active cases in UP are in hospitals. He also thanked the PM for giving two vaccines for Covid within a very short period of time, a feat appreciated across the world, adding that the malicious campaign of the opposition against the vaccines was an “inhuman” act. CM Yogi was accompanied by Minister of State for Health Atul Garg and MP from Ghaziabad and Union Minister of State Gen VK Singh (retd). The Chief Minister also visited Ingraham Institute to inspect the vaccination campaign.