Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday urged the Centre to provide the required stock of Covid-19 vaccines for a week in advance and sought a reduction in the GST rate on medicines and devices used in the treatment of the infection while speaking at the Prime Minister’s video conference meeting with chief ministers to discuss the Covid-19 situation and progress of the vaccination drive, officials said.
Baghel made these demands while speaking at the Prime Minister’s video conference meeting with chief ministers to discuss the Covid-19 situation and progress of the vaccination drive, a public relations department official said.
In the meeting, the chief minister requested the Centre to provide one week of required vaccine stock in advance as this would facilitate smooth vaccination in remote districts, he said.
The CM urged the Centre to reduce the GST rate on medicines and devices used in the treatment of Covid-19, saying it would reduce the financial burden on coronavirus patients.
Baghel also sought the Centres support for a continuous supply of Remdesivir injection and oxygen cylinders, setting up of four virology labs and 1,000 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds in view of the rising Covid-19 cases in the state, the official said.
Briefing about the vaccination coverage, the Chief Minister said in Chhattisgarh, the first dose of vaccine has been given to 87 percent of the healthcare workers, 84 percent of the frontline workers and 43 percent of the people above 45 years of age.
Till April 7, as many as 33.61 lakh vaccine doses have been given to people in the state, he added.
In Chhattisgarh, 2,04,420 tests are being done per 10 lakh population, while at the national level 1,89,664 tests are being conducted per 10 lakh population, he said.
The RT-PCR test percentage in the state was 26 percent in October 2020, which has increased to about 40 percent in April 2021, the CM said in the meeting.