The Health Minister of Uttarakhand, Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat, announced that the state will increase COVID-19 testing and vaccination in response to the rising number of infections across India. He instructed departmental officers to strictly implement COVID guidelines issued by the government and ensure that health facilities are in place for the Char Dham Yatra that will begin on April 22. Dr. Rawat also stated that vaccination camps may be set up in public places to reach more people.
In a review meeting of the Health Department, Dr. Rawat emphasized the need to provide better health facilities to pilgrims participating in the Char Dham Yatra. He instructed the Director General of Health to inspect all medical units and temporary medical relief points along the Yatra routes and ensure that specialist doctors and paramedical staff are deployed before April 15.
While the number of COVID cases in India has been increasing, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has stated that the sub-variant of Omicron circulating in the country has not led to an increase in hospitalizations but urged people to remain vigilant. As of April 3, India’s daily positivity rate was 6.12 percent, and the weekly positivity rate was 2.45 percent. The country’s active caseload currently stands at 20,219, with 1,800 patients recovering from the disease in the last 24 hours.
