Amid rising cases in Ker, Mandaviya reviews COVID situation in neighbouring K’taka, TN

New Delhi: With COVID-19 cases rising in Kerala, adequate steps should be taken to contain the inter-State spread of the infection, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Wednesday as he urged Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to increase the pace of vaccination in border districts.

In a telephonic conversation on Wednesday with the health ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Mandaviya reviewed the COVID-19 situation in these States, a health ministry statement said.

Due to the rising cases in Kerala, the Union Health Minister discussed matters related to COVID-19 management in those areas of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, which border Kerala.

Highlighting the need to take adequate steps to contain the inter-State spread of COVID-19, Mandaviya requested the respective health ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to increase the pace of vaccination in the districts bordering Kerala, the statement said.

The Government of India has been at the forefront of the fight against the COVID19 pandemic. Vaccination forms an integral component of the five-point strategy to fight the pandemic (including Test, Track, Treat and COVID Appropriate Behaviour), the statement added.