As Coronavirus cases surge in several parts of India, states are amplifying measures for better virus preparedness. Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a review meeting on Friday with health ministers of all states and union territories via video conferencing. At the meeting, Mandaviya reviewed the preparation of the states ahead of the nationwide Covid mock drills that are to be conducted on April 10 and April 11, respectively.
Measures taken by states for tackling Covid surge:
Goa: The state has begun in-patient Covid-19 testing at government hospitals amid a spike in cases. Taking to Twitter, Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane tweeted, “I have directed the team at @GoaGmc to activate the genome sequencing machine on the premises, and the secretary for health has been notified on the same. We have also begun in-patient testing at government hospitals using antigen testing to keep the situation under control.”
Rane added that RT-PCR tests are being conducted if found necessary and genome sequencing is performed in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). He said an emergency vaccination requirement is also provided to people in case anyone needs a booster dose.
Sikkim: The government of Sikkim on Thursday issued an advisory asking people to wear a face mask in public places. People have also been advised to avoid crowded places to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.
Haryana: Haryana health and family welfare minister Anil Vij on Monday announced wearing a mask will now be mandatory if the number of people assembled is over 100. Vij further said that Covid test will be mandatory for patients arriving at a hospital with symptoms such as cough and cold. The directions were also issued for genome sequencing of the patients testing Covid positive.
Tamil Nadu: Director of public health Dr TS Selva Vinayagam said masks will be mandatory in the state. He also advised the elderly and the people with comorbidities to stay at home.
Chhattisgarh: The Chhattisgarh health department has instructed hospitals to increase the number of beds. It has also asked people to wear masks and follow social distancing norms.
Karnataka: Testing has been ramped up in Bengaluru. “We do close to 3,500 tests every day, particularly focusing on ILI (Influenza-Like Illness) and SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infections),” said Thrilok Chandra, special commissioner of health, BBMP.
Jammu and Kashmir: The directorate of health services Kashmir has intensified testing and alerted the hospitals. Director health Kashmir Mushtaq Ahmad Rather said proactive steps have been taken to enhance preparedness in the face of rising cases and intensified testing has been started in hospitals and other facilities.“Directions have been issued to all relevant officials to ramp up testing and preparations for a mock drill on April 10 to assess their Covid-19 preparedness are in full swing,” he said.
Uttarakhand: The Uttarakhand government has given instructions to the state’s health officials to strictly implement Covid-19 guidelines and increase Covid testing during the upcoming Char Dham Yatra, which is scheduled to begin on April 22. “The figures of Covid infection are increasing rapidly in many states of the country, and to address the issue, the state government has decided to strictly implement the Covid guidelines released by the Government of India and expedite Covid testing and vaccination drive in the state,” health minister Dhan Singh Rawat said.
India has recorded 6,050 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours while the active case tally stands at 28,303. Meanwhile, 2,334 vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours. A total of 5,30,943 people have lost their lives due to Covid-19. The number of discharged people stands at 4,41,85,858. The Covid-19 cases in India have seen an upward trend in the past few days with the daily fresh infections ranging between 2,994 on April 1 to 3,641 on April 3 and 4,435 on April 5.