#COVID | All distts in Green Zone; LG sets 15L additional jab target

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday set a target for health department to vaccinate 15 lakh additional population in the union territory in the coming weeks, an official spokesperson said here.
He said the Lt Governor chaired the weekly review meetings with the members of Covid Task Force, Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPSs) and took a detailed assessment of the present Covid scenario across the UT.
During the meeting with DCs and SPs, the Lt Governor sought the status of the vaccination drive, testing, enforcement measures, and overall Covid position in their respective districts, the spokesperson said.
In anticipation of the third wave, we must prepare ourselves to deal with any future health challenges. By vaccinating our targeted population at the earliest, we will be able to save precious lives from any such threat, Sinha said.
Several strategic interventions and effective clinical management measures were planned and implemented by the UT government as a prompt response to meet the health exigencies, he said.
Oxygen generation capacity was augmented from 15,000 LPM (litres per minute) in September last year to 66,000 LPM, which will soon reach 90,000 LPM, the Lt governor said.
Terming testing, vaccination, contract tracing, enforcement and compliance of Covid-appropriate behaviour as critical factors in the fight against the pandemic, he directed the DCs and SPs to ensure that all these factors are the top priority of the District Administrations.
Avoid crowding at public places and increase awareness among people. Take strict measures in areas where Covid-appropriate behaviour is being flaunted, besides declaring micro-containment zones at block and panchayat levels for effective implementation of enforcement measures, the Lt governor said.
Laying special emphasis on scaling up the vaccination, he asked the concerned officials to put in place a comprehensive strategy to maximise the coverage of the people falling under the 18-44 age group in areas with major population flow like Jammu and Srinagar.
Balance should be maintained in administrating both the doses amongst the targeted age groups, he added.
On being informed that all the 20 districts of the UT are now under the green zone as per the new stringent indicators and substantial decrease registered in the active cases trend in the majority of the districts, the Lt governor appreciated the efforts made by all stakeholders in controlling the spread of the virus.
Do not lose the momentum and continue striving hard to win the fight against the global pandemic, he said.
Public importance issues highlighted in the media should be addressed and action-taken report must be submitted on a weekly basis, the Lt governor said.