With experts apprehending that the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic might pose a greater threat to children, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday said his government will make use of all available resources to ensure proper healthcare for them.
Noting that his government abides by the basic principle -- every life is precious' Patnaik, after virtually launching a training programme for doctors on paediatric care, said the state government has approved an action plan to build necessary infrastructure for fighting the third wave.
He also launched several COVID-19 awareness videos and pocket-sized books for frontline workers on the occasion.
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"We have to be extremely cautious as reports suggest that the third wave may have more impact on children. The state government will pool in all available resources to ensure proper healthcare for them," the CM maintained.
Of the state's 9,16,109 COVID-19 cases so far, 47,776 are children in the age group of 0 to 14 years.
"Odisha has always been on high alert, doing its best to tackle the pandemic. We have taken pro-active steps to contain the spread of the virus. The state has established a large network of government and private COVID-19 hospitals across districts to provide free quality treatment to our people," he said, thanking all people for their cooperation.
Doctors, during the programme, appreciated the government for its efforts to handle the COVID-19 crisis and said that Odisha is the "only state" to have ensured steady oxygen supply at its peripheral medical facilities.