With experts warning of the possibility of a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic that could primarily target children, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is focusing on improving paediatric care facilities at the child health care centres and area hospitals, apart from adding paediatric wards to the teaching colleges of the state.

At a Covid review meeting on Monday, the Chief Minister directed the concerned officials to make necessary arrangements for establishing three new paediatric hospitals in Vizag, Kishna-Guntur and Tirupati.

He also said that at the Assembly constituency level, private hospitals offering paediatric care facilities should be empanelled under the Aarogyasri scheme, so that BPL families have access to these facilities when needed.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh is gradually witnessing a considerable dip in test positivity rate as well as the number of active Covid cases for the past 21 days.

According to official records, the positivity rate was 25.56 per cent on May 16, with actives cases numbering 2,11,554. But as of June 7, the positivity rate and the number of active cases dipped to 10.73 per cent and 1,14,510, respectively.

Similarly, the state’s recovery rate, which went down to 84.32 per cent in May, has recovered to stand at 92.33 per cent as on the June 6.