In light of the new Omicron coronavirus variant discovered in southern Africa, the center has again written to all states and union territories about additional precautions to be taken in the future.
In a letter to the additional chief secretary / chief secretary / secretary (health) of all states and union territories, the union’s health minister, Rajesh Bhushan, wrote that in addition to screening passengers from “vulnerable” nations and a 14-day quarantine, they should continue to ” Monitor hotspots ”or areas where a group of positive cases has recently occurred.
“In all of these“ hotspots ”, in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt. of India and the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), ”he wrote.
States should keep a close eye on the emerging trend of cases and positivity in an area and quickly isolate hotspots for effective Covid-19 containment, the letter said.
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Elevated Tests
There should be increased focus on more tests and the exchange of RT-PCR tests to support the early detection of Covid-19 cases. States should aim for a positivity rate of less than 5 percent, Bhushan stressed.
Expansion of the health infrastructure
“Adequate availability of health facilities across the state is essential to ensure there are no delays in supplies,” writes Bhushan. In this regard, the states were advised to plan and strengthen trained personnel, infrastructure, logistics and procurement.
In addition, states were asked to make optimal use of the financial support provided by the Center under ECRP-l & ll. “There must be no compromises in the rapid and high-quality treatment of patients,” said the Union Health Minister.
Prompt sending of samples for genome sequencing
INSACOG was established to monitor the circulating variants in the country. At this point it is important that states must significantly increase the sampling rate from the general population / community for genome sequencing by sending these samples to the INSACOG laboratory network as per the guideline.
Destroy “fake news”
To counter the spread of misinformation about the pandemic, state governments have been directed to regularly address the concerns of the masses through press conferences and bulletins that disseminate evidence-based information.
“States can also ensure that the community is well informed about the measures taken and that they are advised to follow measures such as Covid-compliant behavior and vaccination,” the recommendation says.
Compliance with government guidelines
“It is of crucial importance for the state / the UTs to adhere to the overarching principle of ‘Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate- and Covid-appropriate behavior’ in order to ensure a strict implementation of containment measures in accordance with the MoHFW guidelines” said Bhushan.
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Omicron alarm
The world is on high alert after the Omicron variant was discovered in South Africa last week, which is feared to have high numbers of previously unseen spike mutations. It has since been found in several countries in Europe and Asia, causing widespread concern as it is still unknown how contagious the strain is or whether it can bypass antibodies from a previous infection or vaccination.
News of the variant prompted countries to announce new travel restrictions and prompted drug manufacturers to consider whether their Covid-19 vaccines would continue to be protective.
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