Don't let your guard down as pandemic isn't over yet: Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar
Bengaluru, Mar 16: Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Wednesday cautioned people against letting their guard down against COVID-19 saying that the pandemic is currently under control due to widespread vaccination but not yet over.
"COVID-19 hasn't gone. However, it has been controlled by vaccination. There is a long way to go in controlling COVID-19. Even those who have taken the vaccine should not let their guard down against COVID-19," Sudhakar said after inaugurating the vaccination drive for children aged between 12 and 14 years and booster dose for senior citizens at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee medical institute.
Pointing out that there were apprehensions that a few more waves of COVID-19 may hit the nation, the minister said these potential waves can be mitigated to a large extent by vaccinations.
"Everyone must take precautions by wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing, Sudhakar said.
According to him, over 180 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been given across India, including over 10 crore doses in the state, till date.
The minister further said that when children aged from 12 to 14 years take the vaccine, they will gain immunity to fight against COVID-19. He said 20 lakh children in the state will be given the jab.
Sudhakar further pointed out that the COVID-19 vaccinations will be available for children aged from zero to 12 years in the coming days.
He also said the vaccines are being given to people after following due scientific process.
Regarding COVID-19 outbreak in several Chinese cities and other hotspots, Sudhakar said the Centre and state governments are gathering all information from these places to ensure that the country is prepared to fight possible future waves.
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Mumbai Metro lines 9 and 2B open for commuters
Mumbai (PTI): Commercial operations on the first phases of Mumbai Metro corridors 9 and 2B began on Wednesday morning, a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the mass-transit routes, officials said.
While the Metro 9 marks the first direct connectivity between a suburb in Mumbai and a part of Thane city in the metropolitan region, the Line 2B will provide the first metro connectivity on the Harbour Line in Mumbai.
The 5.6-km elevated Phase 1 stretch of Metro Line 9 comprises four stations -- Dahisar East, Pandurangwadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon. The 5.53-km Phase 1 of Metro Line 2B has five stations, including Deshbhakt N G Acharya Udyan (Diamond Garden), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, Deonar, Mankhurd and Maharashtra Nagar–Mandale.
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According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Line 9 is expected to cut travel time between Mira-Bhayandar in Thane district and Mumbai to around 30 minutes from the current one to two hours. Built at Rs 6,607 crore, it will eventually provide seamless connectivity to south Mumbai through interlinking with other lines.
With the addition of the two new lines, Mumbai’s operational Metro network has expanded to six corridors, including Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova), Line 2A (Andheri West-Dahisar East), Line 7 (Dahisar East-Andheri East) and the underground Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra Kurla Complex-SEEPZ).
As per MMRDA, the revised timetable for Line 2A and Line 7 came into effect on Wednesday, aimed at improving frequency, predictability and overall commuter experience.
It said that with the inauguration of Line 9, Metro Line 2A will now operate as a standalone corridor between Andheri West and Dahisar East, with services from 5.50 am till around 11 pm and a peak frequency of about six minutes.
The integrated Line 7-9 corridor (Gundavali to Kashigaon), spanning 19.79 km, will operate from 5.50 am to 11 pm, with a peak frequency of under six minutes and 276 services on weekdays.
Metro Line 2B (Phase 1) services commenced at 6 am and will run till around 10.30 pm at intervals of approximately nine-and-a-half minutes, operating 209 services daily, according to officials.
MMRDA said the integration of Line 7 with Line 9 enables direct connectivity from Andheri East to Mira-Bhayandar, while Lines 2A and 7 will function as separate corridors.
A seamless interchange facility at Dahisar station will allow passengers to switch between Lines 2A and 7 without exiting the “paid” (ticketed) area.
