COVID-19 Surge in India: Central Government Suggests Measures To Manage Coronavirus Upsurge, States To Organise Mock Drill on April 10 and 11

The Central Government reviewed the public health preparedness for the management of Covid-19 and vaccination progress, and exhorted states to strengthen surveillance with a focus on whole genome sequencing of positive samples. In the wake of the rising Covid cases in several parts of the country, the Centre also directed the states to increase testing with higher proportion of RT-PCR tests. States have also been advised to undertake mock drills to ensure the operational readiness of hospital infrastructure including Oxygen cylinders, PSA plants, ventilators and human resources.

Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate & Adherence

Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness status of the entire spectrum of management of the pandemic in view of the upsurge in cases through a video conference. Dr V K Paul, member, health, NITI Aayog and Dr Rajiv Bahl, secretary, Dept. of Health Research were also present in the review meeting. All agreed that Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate & Adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour continue to remain the tested strategy for the pandemic management. COVID-19 Active Cases in Uttar Pradesh Rises to 262, Increases Three Times in Past 10 Days.

PM Narendra Mod Had Also Shared His Concerns

Earlier, a high level review meeting was held on 22nd March, 2023 in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also shared his concerns about the spurt in Covid figures. This meeting also advised states to be on the alert and ensure preparedness. Rajesh Bhushan has cautioned states against any complacency and advised them to follow up on the priorities listed. The secretary also stressed on ramping of testing with higher proportion of RT-PCR, and whole genome sequencing of positive samples.

Precaution Dose for the Vulnerables

Rajesh Bhushan also stressed on the need to increase administration of precaution dose among people, especially for the vulnerable population group. A comprehensive presentation was made in the meeting, covering the global Covid-19 situation including the rising cases in India, as the average daily cases rose to 966 in the week ending 23rd March, 2023 from 313 average daily cases in the week ending 3rd March, 2023, and weekly positivity going up to 1.08% during the same time.

Positivity Rates Going Up

The positivity rate in several states has gone up, alarming the concerned authorities. For example, the weekly positivity in Maharashtra went up to 4.58% as on 24th March, 2023 from 0.54% in the week ending 3rd March, 2023. In Gujarat, it increased to 2.17% from 0.07% and in Kerala, it shot up to 4.51% from 1.47%. Karnataka witnessed average weekly positivity rise up to 3.05% from 1.65%, while Delhi has seen weekly positivity rise to 4.25% from 0.53%. Similar trends are also being seen in several other states in last few days.

Mock Drills Across All Health Facilities

In the meeting, the secretary also advised states to undertake mock drills across all health facilities on 10th & 11th April, 2023 to ensure operational readiness of hospital infrastructure, including Oxygen cylinders, PSA plants, ventilators, logistics and human resources. He informed about the status of the last mock drill which was conducted on 27th Dec, 2023.

Community Awareness Drive Needed

Bhushan also said that irrespective of the new Covid variants, ‘Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate & Adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour’ continue to remain the tested strategy for the disease management. States were also urged to ensure availability of sufficient designated beds and health workers across the states, enhance community awareness regarding disease and vaccination and regularly update COVID-19 data in Covid India Portal.

Increased Vigil to New Variants

Presenting his side, Dr V K Paul highlighted the need for increased vigil due to the prevalence of new variants and vaccine immunity across the country, which is currently at a modest level. He also urged states to increase preparedness including higher level of RT-PCR tests and called for increasing the coverage of precaution dose among population. COVID-19 in India: Centre Reviews Preparedness, Advises States To Undertake Mock Drills in April.

Regular Advisories From Ministry

The comprehensive and detailed discussions on tackling the various aspects of the pandemic, were appreciated by the states. Apart from the meetings chaired by the Prime Minister and the Union Health Minister, advisories from the Union Health Ministry are also issued on regular basis. In the meeting, states also assured they would hold mock drill for readiness of hospital infrastructure on 10th-11th April, 2023.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 28, 2023 01:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).