NE NEWS SERVICE
AMARAVATI, MARCH 5
The State Medical and Health Department is fully geared up to meet any eventuality vis-à-vis coronavirus and has set up isolation wards, besides taking up mass awareness programme and training the staff.
Speaking to media here on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Medical Education Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas (Nani) said “currently eight hospitals are equipped with isolation wards and as per the Central Government instructions, we have also established isolation rooms in two hospitals and four more are going to be added up. We are well equipped to deal with the cases and as part of the precautionary measures awareness programs at district level are going to be conducted.”
A state contingent would attend the national training programme to be held at New Delhi on March 6 on how to handle the cases and on return a state-level workshop would be held on March 9, he said.
The awareness programme would be carried out in a big way with pamphlets on ‘’dos and donts’’ would be widely distributed and displayed at village secretariats which focus on hygiene and cleanliness.
As per the instructions by the Chief Minister, we have set up a dedicated call center for the public, which is further rooted to control rooms at the district level to alert the officials. People who are suspicious about the contact of the virus can contact the call center 0866-2410978.
“Anyone with persistent fever, cough, cold or shortness of breath within 28 days must immediately visit the nearest government Hospital wearing a mask. As of now, the State has 1,10,340 N -95 masks and over 12,000 personal protection masks,” he said.
He also emphasized the screenings at all airports and seaports across the State to identify the infected persons and quarantine them.
