The effect of the atmosphere of concern created around the world regarding the new variant of Corona, Omicron, is also being seen in the country. On Sunday, the central government has directed the states to start preparations against the effects of the Omicron variant. Sufficient strictness has been asked for this.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has directed all states and union territories to strictly enforce quarantine and isolation concerning Omicron. Along with this, everyone has been ordered to immediately increase RT-PCR testing and start active surveillance.
Let us understand in 8 points what is in the guidelines given to the states ...
1. Variant of concern is Omicron, keep caution in that regard
The Center has said that Omicron is a variant of concern. Therefore it is necessary to catch it immediately. For this, do maximum testing and increase surveillance on hotspots.
2. Omicron-affected countries included in the list of 'At Risk Countries'
Countries, where this new variant of Corona has been found so far, have been included in the 'At Risk Countries' list. Along with this, it has been ordered that extra precautions should be taken for the passengers coming from these countries and extra preventive measures should be implemented. These measures include quarantining, conducting RT-PCR tests, and monitoring those who came in contact with them. States should try to keep the positivity rate below 5%.
3. States collect travel data at their level
The Center has said that a mechanism to get information about the past air travel of passengers coming through international flights already exists in every state. States should review this at their level so that immediate measures can be initiated for passengers coming from at-wrist countries.
3. Strictly Enforce COVID-Appropriate Behavior
The Center has reiterated that defense is the only real security. Therefore, the State-Union Territory should strictly follow the Covid-appropriate behavior. Also, increase the containment, keep surveillance active, increase the scope and speed of vaccination coverage so that this variant of concern can be effectively dealt with.
4. Keep Adequate Infrastructure Ready for Testing
The Health Ministry has said that all states should keep adequate testing infrastructure operational in their place so that any sudden jump in the number of infected due to this mutated virus can be dealt with. The ministry has given a clear warning to the states that in many states, the number of RT-PCR tests has appeared to be falling in proportion to the overall testing. In the absence of adequate testing, it is extremely difficult to determine the exact level of spread of the infection.
5. Monitoring of hotspots should be done continuously
States have been asked to continue vigilant monitoring both in the areas listed as corona hotspots and in areas where there has been a sudden jump in the number of positive patients in the recent past. Along with this, orders have also been given to conduct saturation testing at hotspots and send all positive samples for genome sequencing in any case.
6. Make a target to keep the positivity rate below 5%
The states should set a target to keep the positivity rate below 5% in any way. For this, focus on increasing the number of tests and increasing the number of RT-PCR tests in that too so that any positive patient can be identified at the earliest.
7. Maintain Adequate Availability of Health Facilities
States should maintain adequate availability of health facilities in all their areas and ensure that there is no delay in providing treatment. Also, all the states should use the financial assistance given by the central government wisely.
8. Keep an eye on virus changes through INSACOG
The Center has said that INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) has been formed to monitor the mutations occurring in different variants of corona in the country, which is a multi-laboratory, and its coronavirus genomic variants can be monitored. There is a pan-India network to do this. The Center has urged all the states to increase the sampling of the general public on a large scale to help them monitor the virus through INSACOG.
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