Centre announces Rs 1,300 crore package for Northeastern states to tackle COVID-19 pandemic

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday held a review meeting over COVID-19 pandemic and immunisation with Health Ministers and other officials of the northeastern states. The health minister under Covid response package announced that over Rs 1,300 crore will be given to northeastern states to procure medicines and augmentation of oxygen supplies and beds at the district level will also be done.

"A detailed discussion was also held on ramping up vaccination, he added.

"The fund will also be utilised to speed up the vaccination drive by the states in the region. The Government of India is committed to provide enough vaccines to the states," he told a press conference following the review meeting.

On the prolonged second wave of the pandemic in the Northeast, the minister said the peak in the region was seen much later than the rest of India and so it was taking time to decline.

"In the last two weeks, the cases have started declining in the Northeast and this is a good sign. All the states took various steps to contain the second wave and it is ending now," Mandaviya said.

Meanwhile, after reviewing the COVID-19 situation, Assam government today relaxed its new guidelines and eased night curfew timings from 7 pm to 5 am, which earlier were from 6 pm to 5 am.

The state government also allowed inter-state movement of private vehicles and people except to and from Kamrup (Metro) District. However, inter-district public transport remains suspended.

As per media bulletin issued on Monday, Assam reported 758 new COVID-19 cases, 1,014 recoveries and 10 deaths. The daily positivity rate stood at 0.69 per cent. There are 7,707 active cases taking the cumulative cases to 5,80,657.

The recovery rate is 97.49 per cent while the case fatality rate is 0.95 per cent in Assam. So far, 5,66,101 people have recovered from the infection and 5,502 have succumbed to death.

(With agency inputs)