As per directions issued in July, the Uttar Pradesh government had to operationalise 548 oxygen plants by 15 August. Out of these, the state government has already set up around 300 plants until now. The officials concerned have been asked to operationalise the remaining plants by August end, informed Navneet Sehgal (Additional Chief Secretary Information, UP Government).

He further informed that more than 6,700 P-ICU (pediatric-ICU) beds have already been prepared. The government has given specialised training to 14,000 health workers to work in these wards. We have also set up ‘special guardian booths’ in each district to vaccinate the parents of children below 12 years on a priority basis. As some apprehensions were raised about the supposed effect of the third wave on children, the UP government has planned in advance for the worst-case scenario.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a review meeting with the heads of the various committees constituted regarding Covid-19 at Lok Bhawan, Lucknow yesterday (16 August). The Chief Minister was apprised that on an average more than 2.50 lakh tests are being done every day, while the positivity rate remains 0.01 and the recovery rate is 98.6 per cent.

In the testing of 189,744 samples conducted in the 24 hours before Sehgal’s press briefing, not a single new case of infection was found in 62 districts.

Sehgal also reiterated that the UP government is working on the 3-T formula of tracing, testing and treatment to curb the coronavirus infection in the state. The government's door-to-door tracing, and supervised home isolation ensured minimal load on hospitals, and thus facilitated in preventing the spread of the virus as well in providing timely hospital care to seriously ill patients.

In the second wave of Covid, Uttar Pradesh was one of the worst-affected states, with nearly 30,000 new cases each day. However, as the apprehensions of a third wave approaching the country grow, the setting up of oxygen plants across the state sends a message that the administration is prepared to handle the worst.