New Delhi: Amidst the increasing cases of Coronavirus Omicron variant across the country, the Center has advised the states and union territories not to let their rescue operations down. In the meeting held on Thursday, the Center asked the states to maintain their preparedness in the fight against the Covid-19 Pandemic and follow a five-fold strategy in view of the new variant Omicron.
States have been asked by district and local administrations to implement local control measures, especially when test positivity increases by more than 10 percent of oxygen beds are booked by more than 40 per cent. . To curb the rising cases of the corona, the Center has advised the states to adopt a 5-level strategy.
The Center said, depending on the local situation and population characteristics such as density and others and taking into account the high transmission potential of Omicron, states and union territories may take preventive measures and impose restrictions even before these limits are reached. Huh. States have been advised to follow a five-pronged strategy with containment, testing and surveillance, clinical management, COVID safe behavior, and containment.
On the issue of prevention, states have been advised to impose night curfew and ensure strict regulation of large gatherings, especially ahead of upcoming festivals. The Center has said that the states need to keep a close watch on the number of Delta and Omicron cases in all the districts and the day-to-day and week-to-week positivity of cases.
The Center reviewed the public health preparedness of the states and said that any restrictions should be in place for a minimum period of 14 days. Bhushan said that the syndromes of the Omicron variant present like the common cold, with a high rate of transmissibility (spread of infection) and doubling time, so a syndromic approach can be employed for the prevention of COVID. States have also been informed that the current national clinical management protocol for Omicron remains unchanged. States were advised to increase bed capacity, ensure logistics like ambulances, and put in place mechanisms for seamless transfer of patients. The ministry advised the states to utilize the funds sanctioned under the Emergency COVID Response Package (ECRP-2) to ensure that the required capacity of the health systems to respond to any emergency is at/near the hotspot. has been developed.
On the COVID safe behavior front, states have also been asked to ensure that there is no dissemination of misinformation among citizens, leading to panic. States have been asked to ensure 100% coverage of the eligible beneficiaries of the missed first and second doses in an expeditious manner and pay special attention to the districts where coverage of the first and second doses is less than the national average.
