Panaji, May 21 (IANS): The Goa government has formed a special task force to deal with the third Covid-19 wave, which experts have predicted will hit the country in the coming months, said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday.

"The special task force has been formed under my chairmanship. It will contain 15 members, including private and government doctors," Sawant told the media after a meeting of the state cabinet.

Sawant announced the formation of a special expert committee of doctors to regularly review Covid treatment protocol. "Dean of the Goa Medical College, Shivanand Bandekar, will head the committee," he added.

The Goa government has been criticised for being lax in anticipating the second wave of the pandemic which saw the state top the country vis-a-vis the infection positivity rate earlier this month.

Sawant said the state government was in the process of floating a global tender for procurement of corona vaccines.