Srinagar, Jun 12 (IANS): Jammu and Kashmir is preparing a capacity expansion plan to tackle a possible third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

J&K Chief Secretary, Arun Kumar Mehta, on Saturday chaired a meeting to oversee the preparation of the action plan for tackling a possible third wave of Covid in the Union Territory based on the recommendations of an expert advisory committee.

The Chief Secretary emphasised the need for strict enforcement of Covid appropriate behavior in addition to vigorous vaccination drives for the successful containment of the disease.

It was informed that in comparison to the first wave, which was slow, gradual and mostly affected the elderly/comorbid population, the second wave was abrupt, steep and severely infected the young and middle-aged population.

It was stressed that the trajectory of the disease must be put under meticulous surveillance for early detection of new trends towards a probable third wave.

The Health and Medical Education Department has been asked to constitute a medical advisory team consisting of field experts in virology, epidemiology and microbiology to provide multi-dimensional scientific recommendations for evidence-based scientific management of Covid-19.

The Chief Secretary directed the department to conduct stratified serological surveys in Jammu and Kashmir to ascertain natural/vaccine induced seropositivity in the population and identify the susceptible groups and areas in the UT to be taken up under targeted vaccination drives.