AP DGP Gautam Sawang has announced stricter measures to deal with the Covid problem. He has asked the people to make use of the e-pass facility from Monday if they are required to do emergency travel to the neighbouring States. The e-pass facility can be accessed through the Police Seva app.

Actually, Tamil Nadu has made it mandatory for those coming from AP to take e-pass. Also, other States have restricted access to travellers from AP on their borders. As a result, the AP people going to the respective states are facing lots of problems. Moreover, the Covid second wave is only rising but not showing any signs of giving an early relief.

Amid this, the AP Police have no option but to start the e-pass facility immediately for the convenience of its citizens. This will help many Covid patients who are going to Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad for better treatment.

Mr. Gautam Sawang has also indicated that a final decision whether to continue the 18-hour curfew after May 18 or not would be taken only after reviewing the Covid situation at that time. Till then, there will be no permission for political or private meetings. For functions, they should take prior permission from the local officials.

Mr. Sawang said that section 144 would be in effect all over AP till further orders.

The Andhra Pradesh government has instituted a high-level enquiry into Saturday’s explosion that rocked a limestone quarry in Kadapa district, leaving 10 people dead, and several others critically injured.

The state’s Minister for Mines and Geology, Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy stated on Sunday that a committee comprising of five departments, has been set up for the purpose.

The inquiry committee, headed by the Kadapa district joint collector (revenue), will submit its report to the government within five days he added.

The minister said that a sum of Rs 10 lakh is being sanctioned as ex gratia to families of each of the deceased, while those injured will be given Rs 5 lakh each.

Pointing out that the tragedy occurred because adequate safety precautions were not observed while unloading the explosives, the minister stated that action will be initiated against the mine’s leaseholder.

The incident had occurred near Mamillapalle village in Kalasapadu mandal when the labourers were unloading gelatin stick from a vehicle for using them at a limestone mine.

Such was the impact of the explosion that the body parts of the deceased were blown apart and the vehicle was completely burnt.

The workers hailing from Kalasapadu and Pulivendula mandals were carrying gelatin sticks for blasting the rocks at the mine.

The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) will operate and maintain oxygen plants in all government and teaching hospitals across Andhra Pradesh.

The decision was taken at a meeting the state government’s representative M.T. Krishna Babu had with the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of Eastern Naval Command and the Chief Managing Director of Vizag Steel Plant on supply, storage and maintenance of oxygen in the state, here on Saturday.

The ENC will take the responsibility of fixing leakages in oxygen plants, monitoring the condition of the plants and chalking out the precautions to be taken there. Four special teams have beenn formed and each team will be in-charge of three to four districts.

Arrangements are being made to airlift these teams to the required locations if necessary. These teams will fix the problems in the supply of oxygen besides solving other issues, an official release said.

The Navy has agreed to extend support to the state government in rectifying the technical errors in the oxygen plants. It agreed to transport 25 cryogenic oxygen cylinders, which are coming to the state from Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.

The Navy officials have approved to provide special vehicles for transportation of liquid medical oxygen containers for regular use and also to supply oxygen concentrators, D-type oxygen cylinders and other medical equipment required for Covid treatment.

Officials of Eastern Naval Command have agreed to allot 10 oxygen beds along with 60 normal beds for Covid treatment at the INS Kalinga hospital.

They have also agreed to develop infrastructure for an 150-bed temporary Covid hospital in Kancherapalem in Vishakapatnam district and requested the district administration to make arrangements for the required doctors and medical staff. The Navy has come forward to donate 200 D-type cylinders.

Meanwhile, Vizag Steel Plant (VSP) officials informed the state government that only 100 tonnes of MLO is being produced in two units, which have the capacity of producing 850 tonnes.

VSP also agreed to set up a 50-bed hospital with oxygen facility for Covid treatment at Gurajada Kalakshetram in Vishakapatnam. The Chief Managing Director of Vizag Steel Plant has said that an additional 150 beds will be arranged in that hospital by May 15.

The steel plant officials said that 250 beds will be available by May 30 while 600 beds will be available by June in that hospital, and requested the district administration to ensure that required doctors and medical staff are available accordingly.

The officials of Eastern Naval Command and Vizag Steel Plant also thanked the state government for providing 4,000 doses of Covid vaccine to the staff and their family members.

With Andhra Pradesh reeling severely under the Covid-19 crisis, health officials suspect that the N440K variant, discovered by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), might be the reason behind the rapid deterioration of the health conditions of Covid patients in the last few days, in Visakhapatnam as well as other parts of the state.

The new Covid variant, named as the AP strain, which was identified in Kurnool district, is believed to be 15 times more deadly and stronger than other Indian variants.

The Visakhapatnam district health authorities are closely monitoring the developments.

“We are yet to confirm, which strain is in circulation right now, as samples have been sent, for analysis,to CCMB. But one thing is certain that the variant, currently in circulation in Visakhapatnam, is quite different from what we have seen during the first wave last year,” Visakhapatnam District Collector V. Vinay Chand said.

Experts said that as compared to the first wave experienced last year, this year, the virus can be acquired through a shorter exposure.

The net result is that more people can end up getting infected in a lower time frame.

According to a senior health official in the district, earlie, a Covid patient would reach the hypoxia or dyspnea stage, in about a week. However, in the current scenario, patients are reaching the serious condition stage in barely three to four days.

Experts are especially concerned about the highly unpredictable nature of the AP variant.

“The younger generation is being majorly affected. Not everyone responds to the treatment too.” the official adds.

Apart from the overall sense of panic, the net effect of the possible new Covid strain is evident in the growing demand-supply gap for beds with oxygen, and ICU beds.

Only after a lot of pressure, the Jaganmohan Reddy Government postponed the Intermediate exams at the last minute. But it did not make any changes in the schedule given for the 10th class exams. Hence, the arguments continued on this aspect in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh. The Government advocate told the court that there would be no change in 10th exams since there was a long gap and these exams would be held from June 7 in AP.

The Government, however, assured to change the exam schedule if the Coronavirus cases increased further in the State during the meantime. The court pointed out that already, there were the virus forecasts and experts’ warnings about the rising infections in the next one to two months.

Even then, the Government pleader has said that no decision has been taken on 10th class exams since there is over a month’s time for them to begin. Anything may happen in this gap. Any decision would be taken by reviewing the virus situation a few days prior to the June 7 exams. Then, the High Court postponed the hearing for June 2 and asked the Government to submit its observations on the Covid situation and its policy on 10th exams on that day. The NEET exams were postponed for three months. Most Central exams were being postponed for two to three months. It looks difficult to hold AP 10th exams as per present schedule.