A day after Centre’s Principal Scientific Advisor K VijayRaghavan said that a third wave of COVID-19 is inevitable, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the government to start preparing for the third wave and said that it is important to prepare for the same including vaccinating people of all age groups with young children.
During a hearing on oxygen supply to the national capital of Delhi, the apex court asked the Centre to devise a pan-India approach and said that the basis for oxygen allocation could be reassessed from the audit before the third wave strikes the country.
“You [Centre] need to look at the issue of oxygen supply on a pan-India basis. There is a need to look at oxygen audit and also reassess the basis for oxygen reallocation,” Justice Chandrachud said.
Supreme Court begins hearing the matter regarding the supply of Oxygen by the Centre to various hospitals in Delhi
The Union of India has to apprise the Supreme Court as to how it will provide Oxygen to the Delhi hospitals
— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2021
A Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah said that if preparations are made right away, it may be able to tackle the third wave for which scientific planning to vaccinate persons would be needed.
“The third surge in India which is around the corner according to experts will affect children. So when a child goes to hospital, the mother and father will also have to go. That is why vaccination will have to be over for this group of people. we need to plan for this in a scientific way and thus make arrangement,” the Court said.
If we prepare today we may be able to handle it, the Court added, Bar and Bench reported.
The Court also said that it is important to create buffer stock of oxygen to subside panic, and added that the formula of Centre to allocate oxygen to states needs a complete revamp.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus LIVE Updates | Lockdown In Kerala From May 8-16, Online Oxygen Application Facility For Delhi Patients In Home Isolation