Centre asks states, UTs to display two per cent passengers from every incoming flight via RT-PCR

By PTI

NEW DELHI: With India persistently reporting greater than 10,000 Covid circumstances over the previous few days, the Centre Wednesday requested states and Union Territories to make sure a random RT-PCR screening of about two per cent passengers in every incoming flight, and ship all optimistic specimens for genomic sequencing.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan issued the advisory via a letter to states and UTs, referring to the ‘Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in context of COVID-19’ issued by the Centre on June 9.

Bhushan requested them to implement the revised technique which focuses on early detection and well timed administration of suspected and confirmed circumstances, and the containment of outbreaks of latest coronavirus variants.

Bhushan mentioned the June 9 technique was issued with the long-term imaginative and prescient to completely combine COVID-19 surveillance inside current Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) mechanism.

Summarising the actions that states have to take, Bhushan mentioned they need to guarantee “Surveillance of Incoming International Travelers which will include random screening of 2 per cent of passengers in each incoming flight into India by RT-PCR”.

He requested them that every one optimistic specimens needs to be despatched for genome sequencing and such passengers needs to be suggested isolation and clinically managers as per prevailing pointers.

He additionally mentioned all healthcare amenities ought to report Influenza Like Illness (ILI) circumstances, and talked about that the District Surveillance Officer (DSO) will likely be accountable to analyse the information.

Five per cent of ILI circumstances shall be examined via RT-PCR, he mentioned.

Health amenities ought to guarantee monitoring of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) circumstances in all district hospitals and chosen tertiary hospitals and undertake their RT-PCR check for Covid, he mentioned.

State IDSP shall share this knowledge on a fortnightly foundation and the lab testing for COVID-19 ought to add their knowledge on Indian Council for Medical Research portal, he mentioned.

The revised technique additional confused on community-based surveillance for early detection of surprising occasions locally reminiscent of massive outbreaks, uncommon medical presentation of circumstances, mortality, and so forth.

Bhushan mentioned the three-pronged genomic surveillance technique needs to be carried out by states and UTs.

Also, optimistic samples from massive clusters or outbreaks locally and weird occasions also needs to be despatched for whole-genome sequencing.

In addition, revised surveillance pointers additionally name for sewage and wastewater surveillance which can present early warnings on the potential native surge of COVID-19, the letter mentioned.

“Please be certain that the rules are disseminated to all districts, and recognized well being amenities and labs throughout the state and their implementation shall be ensured.

“I am sure the state governments and UT administrations shall make these guidelines to enable us to retain and build on the gains made so far in this fight against COVID-19,” the letter mentioned.