Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray skipped a video conference meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Chief Ministers on the Covid-19 situation due to health reasons on Thursday. State Health Minister Rajesh Tope, who attended the meeting, told PM that the Delta variant is dominant among patients in Maharashtra compared to Omicron.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai following the videoconference with PM, Tope said, “ There are many variants in many States. In Maharashtra, we had genomic sequencing of 4,000 samples, out of which 13,00 samples were Omicron and 2,700 samples of Delta. So Delta is dominant. About 70 per cent cases in the State are of Delta and 30 per cent of Omicron”.

Tope added that the State has requested the union government on clarity on restrictions being imposed by States to curb the spread of Covid-19. He said that the union government must issue SOPs that apply to all the States.

The State has demanded that the union government immediately provide 40 lakh vials of Covaxin and 50 lakh vials of Covishield. The demand for Covaxin has gone up as health workers, and front-line workers are being given Covaxin booster doses.

Tope said that the union government must introduce mandatory norms for the people who are still hesitant to take vaccine doses.

When asked about CM Thackeray’s absence in the meeting, Tope said, “ CM is undergoing post-operative treatment. His doctors might have suggested that sitting for two hours in one place would not be appropriate. Due to health reasons, he was not there but he had asked me to present the State’s case”.

In November, CM Uddhav Thackeray had undergone spine surgery at H.N. Reliance Hospital in Mumbai.

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