Mumbai: Maharashtra government has started training 20,000 youths in healthcare, nursing and paramedical to boost the human resources required for tackling the possible third wave of Covid-19 in the state. The next bout of the pandemic could hit Maharashtra in the coming weeks. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday launched the Chief Minister’s MahaArogya Skills Development Training Program under which 20,000 young people will be provided medical training over the next three months.

“In the next three months, 20,000 trained manpower will be provided from 36 different courses in the field of healthcare, nursing and paramedical, which are required in the Corona situation," news agency ANI quoted an official release.

Thackeray said the scheme will further strengthen the state’s health sector with skilled human resources and will be a pivotal step for a healthy Maharashtra.

Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state during both the first and second Covid-19 waves, and is yet to fully control the ongoing second wave as it still reports around 8,000-9,000 daily cases and deaths in triple digits. The state recorded 9,083 fresh infections and 439 deaths on Thursday, taking its toll to 1,24,296. The active cases in the state remain at 1.17 lakh. Maharashtra and Kerala are the only two states where active infections are more than 1 lakh. On the other hand, the Maharashtra Covid task force last month warned the state government that the third wave could arrive in two four weeks. However, the task force said the possible third wave would not affect the children as much as the middle-class clusters which are yet to be exposed to the pandemic. According to the predictions made during the meeting chaired by Thackeray last month, active cases during the third wave could reach eight lakh, more than double the peak of the second wave.