COVID-19 vigil: Carry mock drills in hospitals, keep away from overcrowding, Centre tells states
6 min readBy Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Advising states to be alert given the worldwide surge in Covid instances and the upcoming Christmas and New Year festivities, the centre on Friday directed states to strengthen surveillance, ramp up testing, and make sure the carrying of masks, particularly in crowded areas, together with indoors.
The Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya held a Covid assessment assembly with state well being ministers given the current upsurge in China, Japan, Brazil and the US, additionally requested them to make sure hospital infrastructure is able to meet any eventuality and directed them to hold out mock drills in hospitals to test their emergency preparedness.
Following these instructions, country-wide mock drills can be carried out on December 27. The well being minister will even be main one.
States had been additionally informed to keep away from overcrowding in public areas, each indoors and outdoor.
“Need to collectively reinvigorate the system and remove any sense of complacency and fatigue,” the minister stated and requested them to expeditiously enhance the speed of testing from the present price of 79 exams per million (until December 22).
In a tweet after the assembly, Mandaviya stated, “Emphasized the need to be alert in a COVID-19 review meeting with State Health Ministers. There is no need to panic. We have three years of experience in pandemic management. The Centre Govt will provide all the support to combat COVID-19. We will take action as per the needs.”
“Also, stressed on combating the pandemic with a pre-emptive & proactive approach by increasing testing, genome sequencing and following COVID-appropriate behaviour,” he added.
Emphasized on the should be alert in COVID-19 assessment assembly with State Health Ministers.
There is not any have to panic. We have 3 years of expertise in pandemic administration. The Centre Govt will present all of the assist to fight COVID-19. We will take motion as per the wants. pic.twitter.com/z4QsMZMbEX
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) December 23, 2022
ALSO READ | Covid not over but, masks up, do not be complacent: PM Modi
Union well being secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a letter to state chief secretaries stated when it comes to preparedness for upcoming festivities, it’s important that each one measures are put in place with related stakeholders like occasion organisers, enterprise house owners, market associations and so on., to keep away from overcrowding, guarantee enough air flow, particularly indoors, carrying of masks in locations the place crowds are converging.
Though globally, Covid-19 instances are displaying a spike, India has been reporting a mean of 153 instances over the previous a number of days – that is among the many lowest numbers for the reason that pandemic started two years in the past.
However, the ministry stated there’s a have to put in place requisite public well being measures and different preparations to minimise the danger of enhance in transmission of the illness by sustaining and strengthening give attention to test-track-treat-vaccination and adherence to Covid applicable behaviour – use of masks, hand and respiratory hygiene and sustaining bodily distancing.
India has additionally detected 4 instances of Omicron sub-variant BF.7, driving the Covid surge in China.
The ministry requested states to observe and report district-wise Influenza-like sickness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) instances in any respect well being centres commonly to detect early rising tendencies and recommended that these instances be examined for Covid.
Among different measures, the well being ministry stated states ought to guarantee enough testing in all districts, guarantee larger samples for entire genome sequencing amongst constructive samples of Covid-19, ramp up vaccination, particularly precaution doses, and create consciousness amongst communities.
ALSO READ | Avoid public gatherings, worldwide journey, says IMA
On Thursday, the ministry introduced that random testing of two per cent of all worldwide travellers could be performed from Saturday.
The meet was attended by Health Ministers of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Assam, Jharkhand, Puducherry, Tripura, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Haryana and Lieutenant Governor, Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha.
The assembly with the state well being ministers got here a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned in opposition to complacency and urged everybody to observe Covid applicable behaviour always, particularly given the upcoming festive season, together with carrying masks in crowded public locations.
ALSO READ | Prepared to deal with Covid disaster: Kejriwal
NEW DELHI: Advising states to be alert given the worldwide surge in Covid instances and the upcoming Christmas and New Year festivities, the centre on Friday directed states to strengthen surveillance, ramp up testing, and make sure the carrying of masks, particularly in crowded areas, together with indoors.
The Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya held a Covid assessment assembly with state well being ministers given the current upsurge in China, Japan, Brazil and the US, additionally requested them to make sure hospital infrastructure is able to meet any eventuality and directed them to hold out mock drills in hospitals to test their emergency preparedness.
Following these instructions, country-wide mock drills can be carried out on December 27. The well being minister will even be main one.
States had been additionally informed to keep away from overcrowding in public areas, each indoors and outdoor.
“Need to collectively reinvigorate the system and remove any sense of complacency and fatigue,” the minister stated and requested them to expeditiously enhance the speed of testing from the present price of 79 exams per million (until December 22).
In a tweet after the assembly, Mandaviya stated, “Emphasized the need to be alert in a COVID-19 review meeting with State Health Ministers. There is no need to panic. We have three years of experience in pandemic management. The Centre Govt will provide all the support to combat COVID-19. We will take action as per the needs.”
“Also, stressed on combating the pandemic with a pre-emptive & proactive approach by increasing testing, genome sequencing and following COVID-appropriate behaviour,” he added.
Emphasized on the should be alert in COVID-19 assessment assembly with State Health Ministers.
There is not any have to panic. We have 3 years of expertise in pandemic administration. The Centre Govt will present all of the assist to fight COVID-19. We will take motion as per the wants. pic.twitter.com/z4QsMZMbEX
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) December 23, 2022
ALSO READ | Covid not over but, masks up, do not be complacent: PM Modi
Union well being secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a letter to state chief secretaries stated when it comes to preparedness for upcoming festivities, it’s important that each one measures are put in place with related stakeholders like occasion organisers, enterprise house owners, market associations and so on., to keep away from overcrowding, guarantee enough air flow, particularly indoors, carrying of masks in locations the place crowds are converging.
Though globally, Covid-19 instances are displaying a spike, India has been reporting a mean of 153 instances over the previous a number of days – that is among the many lowest numbers for the reason that pandemic started two years in the past.
However, the ministry stated there’s a have to put in place requisite public well being measures and different preparations to minimise the danger of enhance in transmission of the illness by sustaining and strengthening give attention to test-track-treat-vaccination and adherence to Covid applicable behaviour – use of masks, hand and respiratory hygiene and sustaining bodily distancing.
India has additionally detected 4 instances of Omicron sub-variant BF.7, driving the Covid surge in China.
The ministry requested states to observe and report district-wise Influenza-like sickness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) instances in any respect well being centres commonly to detect early rising tendencies and recommended that these instances be examined for Covid.
Among different measures, the well being ministry stated states ought to guarantee enough testing in all districts, guarantee larger samples for entire genome sequencing amongst constructive samples of Covid-19, ramp up vaccination, particularly precaution doses, and create consciousness amongst communities.
ALSO READ | Avoid public gatherings, worldwide journey, says IMA
On Thursday, the ministry introduced that random testing of two per cent of all worldwide travellers could be performed from Saturday.
The meet was attended by Health Ministers of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Assam, Jharkhand, Puducherry, Tripura, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Haryana and Lieutenant Governor, Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha.
The assembly with the state well being ministers got here a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned in opposition to complacency and urged everybody to observe Covid applicable behaviour always, particularly given the upcoming festive season, together with carrying masks in crowded public locations.
ALSO READ | Prepared to deal with Covid disaster: Kejriwal
