News Analysis India

Tag: Health Ministry

  • Cyclone Yaas: Centre asks states near eastern coastline to ramp up health infrastructure

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday asked states near the eastern coastline to prepare themselves for Cyclone Yaas that is likely to hit by May 24.

    Secretary of the health ministry, Rajesh Bhushan wrote the letter to Chief Secretary of States of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and Administrator of Andaman and Nicobar Island to draw attention for taking immediate necessary measures, in all coastal districts.

    “As per information provided by IMD, a low pressure area is very likely to form over North Andaman Sea and likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by May 24, likely to move northwestwards and reach near Odisha West Bengal coasts around morning of May 26, as of now. Apart from the impact of Cyclone in Odisha and West Bengal, there may be widespread rains in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and districts of the east coast that may cause inland flooding,” Bhushan told Chief Secretaries.

    In view of public health challenges already posed by the COVID-19 pandemic may be compounded due to the direct impact of COVID and public health risks posed in terms of waterborne, vector borne and airborne diseases that may arise in the community or in the displaced population in camps/ temporary shelter settings, he urged the Chief Secretaries to take immediate necessary measures in all the coastal districts.

    “Activate the Health Sector Incident Command System and Emergency Operation Centre/Control Room. Identify a Nodal Officer and convey his contact details to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,” he added.

    Asking the chief secretaries to activate health sector DM plan and the hospital Disaster Management Plan of all the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, Andaman Islands, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, Bhushan said the emergency department preparedness in all these hospitals needs to be reviewed.

    The Ministry also directed them to advance planning on evacuation from the community and health facilities which are on the path of cyclone, to safer places/bigger hospitals.

    Moreover, the district surveillance units and public health teams mobilised for COVID management needs also to be reoriented on possible outbreak of epidemic prone diseases such as influenza, measles, acute diarrhoeal diseases, dysentery, leptospirosis, dengue, malaria, etc.

    “There should be adequate power back up arrangements for all the hospitals, labs, vaccine cold chain and Oxygen generation units (MLO, PSA plants) other supportive medical facilities. The availability of water, electricity and fuel for the health facilities in affected districts shall be ensured. vii. It needs to be ensured that health facilities are stocked with adequate essential medicines and supplies to meet any exigencies arising due to disruption on movement of vehicles, due to high wind and heavy rainfall”, read the letter.

    The Ministry further requested the states to follow the IMD release on cyclogenesis in North Andaman Sea. Based on the forecast on the morning of May 24, once the landfall and intensity of cyclonic storm is predicted, evacuation of the hospitals in the path of the cyclone in concerned District s of Odisha/ West Bengal and other areas may be planned in advance.

    In May-June 2020, Eastern Coastline was badly hit by Cyclone Amphan thereby impacting states like West Bengal, Odisha among others. 

  • Covid-19: Nationwide cumulative vaccination coverage exceeds 19 crore

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: In yet another achievement, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday informed that the nationwide cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 19 crores.

    “India has achieved a new milestone in its vaccination drive as the cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has exceeded 19 crores (19,18,79,503) today under the Phase-3 of the nationwide vaccination drive,” read an official release by the Ministry.

    A total of 19,18,79,503 vaccine doses have been administered through 27,53,883 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today.

    These include 97,24,339 healthcare workers (HCWs) who have taken their first dose and 66,80,968 HCWs who have taken the second dose.

    Adding to the count, 1,47,91,600 frontline workers have been administered their first dose and 82,85,253 FLWs have been administered their second dose.

    Newly added 86,04,498 beneficiaries of 18-44 age group also got innoculated with their first shot of vaccine. Mounting further, 5,98,35,256 persons of age group between 45-60 years took their first dose and 95,80,860 persons aged between 45 to 60 years took their second dose of vaccine.

    Also, 5,62,45,627 beneficiaries who are more than 60 years old were too jabbed with their first dose and 1,81,31,102 beneficiaries of more than 60 years old were jabbed with their second dose.

    Ten states account for 66.32 per cent of the total doses given so far in the country. They are Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

    More than 20.61 lakh tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. With this achievement, India has again set a new record of the highest ever tests conducted in a single day. On another front, the daily positivity rate has declined to 12.59 per cent.

    India’s daily recoveries continue to outnumber the daily new cases for the eighth consecutive day. 3,57,295 recoveries were registered in the last 24 hours. India’s cumulative recoveries have reached 2,27,12,735 today. The national recovery rate has grown further to touch 87.25 per cent. Ten states account for 74.55 per cent of the new recoveries. They are Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

    In another positive development, India has recorded less than 3 lakh new cases for five consecutive days now. 2,59,551 daily new cases were registered in the last 24 hours. Ten states reported 76.66 per cent of the new cases in the last 24 hours. Tamil Nadu has reported the highest daily new cases at 35,579, followed by Kerala with 30,491 new cases. The next in line are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Assam.

    On the other hand, India’s total active caseload has decreased to 30,27,925 today. A net decline of 1,01,953 is witnessed in the last 24 hours. It now comprises 11.63 per cent of the country’s total positive cases. Eight states cumulatively account for 69.47 per cent of India’s total active cases. The states are Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)

  • 6 new AIIMS fully functional, 7 partially functional under PM Swasthya Suraksha Yojana: Health Ministry

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: The Central government has approved setting up 22 new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) so far under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) out of which six are already fully functional, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

    The ministry said out of the total 22 new AIIMS, six AIIMS at Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh are already fully functional and in another seven AIIMS, OPD facility and MBBS classes have started while only MBBS classes have started in five more institutes.

    The ministry also said that these AIIMS have admirably responded to the challenge of the second wave by expanding bed capacities for treatment for moderate and severe COVID patients. “Starting from the second week of April 2021, more than 1,300 oxygen beds and about 530 ICU beds, dedicated for COVID treatment, have been added in these Institutions and the current availability of oxygen and ICU beds available for people is about 1,900 and 900 respectively,” it said.

    According to the health ministry, COVID treatment facilities have been started from AIIMS at Raebareli and Gorakhpur during April-May, 2021 which has helped the State of Uttar Pradesh to proactively serve patients of remote districts like Fatehpur, Barabanki, Kaushambi, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Ballia, Mau and Azamgarh.

    Currently, there are 1,925 non-ICU oxygen beds and 908 ICU beds including ventilator are available in dedicated COVID beds in 12 new AIIMS.

    “AIIMS Bhubaneswar has 295 non-ICU oxygen beds and 62 ICU beds including ventilator, AIIMS Bhopal 300 non-ICU oxygen beds and 200 ICU beds including ventilator, AIIMS Jodhpur has 120 non-ICU oxygen beds and 190 ICU beds including ventilator, AIIMS Patna 330 non-ICU oxygen beds and 60 ICU beds including ventilator, AIIMS Raipur 406 non-ICU oxygen beds and 81 ICU beds including ventilator, AIIMS Rishikesh non-150 ICU oxygen beds and 250 ICU beds including ventilator, AIIMS Mangalagiri 90 non-ICU oxygen beds and 10 ICU beds including ventilator, AIIMS Nagpur 125 non-ICU oxygen beds and 10 ICU beds including ventilator, AIIMS Raebareli 30 non-ICU oxygen beds and 20 ICU beds including ventilator, AIIMS Bathinda 45 non-ICU oxygen beds and 25 ICU beds including ventilator, AIIMS Bibinagar and AIIMS Gorakhpur only have 24 and 10 non-ICU oxygen beds respectively,” the ministry said.

    The ministry further said that the capacities of these new AIIMS to handle COVID cases are being reinforced by the government by way of allocations of additional equipment such as ventilators, oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders, besides other consumables such as N-95 masks, PPE kits and essential drugs which includes Favipiravir, Remdesivir and Tocilizumab.

    The new regional AIIMS also delivered other critical non-COVID health services to COVID patients such as those requiring dialysis or those with serious heart ailments, pregnant women, and pediatric cases.

    “AIIMS Raipur alone treated a total of 9664 COVID patients from March 2021 till May 17, 2021. The Institute has provided care to 362 COVID-positive women, helped 223 of them to have safe deliveries. Paediatric Care was provided to 402 COVID children. 898 COVID patients with severe heart ailments availed treatment while 272 patients were aided in their dialysis session,” it said.

    The ministry said the country is currently witnessing cases of mucormycosis being reported from different States.

    “The condition is generally seen in people with a weakened immune system and those with Diabetes. Diabetes being a co-morbidity for COVID, the treatment of which requires use of steroids that modulates the body’s immune response, the treatment for this rare infection is very complex,” it said.

    However, even for this condition, effective and high-quality treatment is being offered by the AIIMS at Raipur, Jodhpur, Patna, Rishikesh, Bhubaneswar and Bhopal, besides some others which are not yet fully functional, read the release.

    PMSSY scheme was announced in August 2003 to address imbalances in the availability of tertiary care hospitals and improve medical education in the country. (ANI)

  • Using term ‘Indian Variant’ for B.1.617 strain has no basis, WHO has not done so: Health Ministry

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Taking umbrage at the B.1.617 mutant of the novel coronavirus being termed an “Indian variant”, the Union health ministry on Wednesday said the WHO has not used the word “Indian” for this strain in its document.

    The ministry dismissed as “without any basis and unfounded” media reports that have used the term “Indian variant” for the B.1.617 mutant strain, which the WHO recently said was a “variant of global concern”.

    The ministry dismissed as “without any basis and unfounded” media reports that have used the term “Indian variant” for the B.1.617 mutant strain, which the WHO recently said was a “variant of global concern”.

    The WHO also said it does not identify viruses or variants with names of countries they are first reported from.

    “We refer to them by their scientific names and request all to do the same for consistency,” WHO South-East Asia said in a tweet.

    “Several media reports have covered the news of World Health Organisation (WHO) classifying B.1. 617 as variant of global concern. Some of these reports have termed the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus as an ‘Indian Variant’,” the ministry said in a statement.

    “These media reports are without any basis, and unfounded,” it said.

    This is to clarify that the WHO has not associated the term “Indian variant” with the B.1.617 strain of the coronavirus in its 32 page document, it said.

    In fact, the word “Indian” has not been used in its report on the matter, the ministry added.

    On Monday, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead at the WHO, had said that the B.1.617 virus variant that was first identified in India had been classified as a “variant of interest”.

  • Active COVID-19 cases in country dip for second day

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India’s total COVID-19 active cases dipped to 37,04,099 with a net decline of 11,122 cases in a span of 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

    This is the second consecutive day that active cases have dipped, the ministry said.

    The active caseload now comprises 15.87 per cent of the country’s total infections, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Haryana, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh cumulatively account for 82.51 per cent of India’s total active cases, the ministry said.

    India’s cumulative recoveries have surged to 1,93,82,642 with 3,55,338 people recuperating in a span of 24 hours.

    New recoveries have outshone new daily cases for the second consecutive day, the ministry said.

    It also said that Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana reported 71.22 per cent of the 3,48,421 new cases reported in a day.

    Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 40,956.

    It is followed by Karnataka with 39,510 while Kerala reported 37,290 new case .

    ALSO READ | India made ‘incorrect assumption’ and opened up prematurely: Dr Anthony Fauci on COVID-19 crisis

    The National Mortality Rate currently stands at 1.09 per cent, the ministry said. A total of 4,205 deaths were reported in a span of 24 hours.

    Ten states account for 73.17 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (793). Karnataka follows with 480 daily deaths.

    The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has exceeded 17.52 crore, the ministry said.

    A total of 17,52,35,991 vaccine doses have been administered through 25,47,534 sessions, according to the provisional report till 7 am.

    These include 95,82,449 healthcare workers (HCWs) who have taken the first dose and 65,39,376 HCWs who have taken the second dose.

    Besides, 5,58,83,416 and 78,36,168 beneficiaries aged 45 to 60 years have been administered the first and second dose respectively, while 5,39,59,772 and 1,62,88,176 beneficiaries more than 60 years have taken the first and second dose.

    A total of 4,79,282 beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years have received their first dose of COVID vaccine in the last 24 hours and cumulatively 30,44,463 across 30 states and UTs since the start of phase-3 of vaccination drive.

    More than 24.4 lakh vaccination doses were administered in a span of 24 hours.

    As on Day-116 of the vaccination drive (May 11), 24,46,674 vaccine doses were given.

    Across 18,543 sessions, 10,92,452 beneficiaries were vaccinated for the first dose and 13,54,222 beneficiaries received their second dose of vaccine.

    The Centre is delivering global aid to states and UTs under the “Whole of Government” approach to augment their efforts in COVID management.

    It also said that 9,200 oxygen concentrators, 5,243 oxygen cylinders, 19 oxygen generation plants, 5,913 ventilators/ Bi PAP and 3.

    44 lakh Remdesivir vials received as part of global aid to India have been delivered or dispatched to states and UTs to strengthen and supplement their COVID response.

  • Record high 4,187 COVID-19 deaths in India, 4.01 lakh new cases

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India saw a record 4,187 fatalities due to COVID-19 in a single day, taking the country’s death toll to 2,38,270, while 4,01,078 new infections were reported in a day, pushing the tally to 2,18,92,676, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Saturday.

    Registering a steady increase, the active cases have increased to 37,23,446, comprising 17.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has dropped to 81.90 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,79,30, 960, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.09 per cent, the data stated.

    4,01,078 new #COVID19 cases and 4,187 deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours.Express Photo | @sooraj_TNIE pic.twitter.com/zzs0R1x2UR
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) May 8, 2021

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    India crossed the grim milestone of 2 crore on May 4.

    According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 30,04,10,043 samples have been tested up to May 7 with 18,08,344 samples being tested on Friday.

  • Health Ministry releases revised guidelines for home isolation of mild COVID-19 cases

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Health Ministry on Thursday issued the “Revised guidelines for home isolation of mild/asymptomatic COVID-19 cases”, in which it advised against attempting to procure or administer Remdesivir injections at home, underlining that it should be administered only in a hospital setting.

    The guidelines stated that systemic oral steroids are not indicated in mild cases and if the symptoms (persistent fever, worsening cough etc.) persist beyond seven days, the treating doctor should be consulted for treatment with low-dose oral steroids.

    Elderly patients aged more than 60 years and those with co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung or liver or kidney disease, cerebrovascular disease etc.

    shall only be allowed home isolation after a proper evaluation by the treating medical officer, it added.

    In case of falling oxygen saturation levels or shortness of breath, the person should require hospital admission and seek immediate consultation with the treating physician or surveillance team.

    Elderly patients aged more than 60 years and those with co-morbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung or liver or kidney disease, cerebrovascular disease etc.

    shall only be allowed home isolation after a proper evaluation by the treating medical officer.

    According to the revised guidelines, the patients may perform warm-water gargles or take steam inhalation twice a day.

    “If fever is not controlled with a maximum dose of tab. Paracetamol 650 mg four times a day, consult the treating doctor, who may consider advising other drugs like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) (ex: tab.Naproxen 250 mg twice a day).

    “Tab.Ivermectin (200 mcg/kg once a day, to be taken on empty stomach) for 3 to 5 days should be considered,” the guidelines stated.

    Inhalational Budesonide (given via inhalers with spacer at a dose of 800 mcg twice daily for five to seven days) to be given if the symptoms (fever and/or cough) persist beyond five days, they added.

    The decision to administer Remdesivir or any other investigational therapy must be taken by a medical professional and it should be administered only in a hospital setting, the ministry said.

    “Do not attempt to procure or administer Remdesivir at home. Systemic oral steroids are not indicated in mild disease. If symptoms persist beyond seven days (persistent fever, worsening cough etc.), consult the treating doctor for treatment with low-dose oral steroids,” the guidelines said.

    The revised guidelines stated that the asymptomatic cases are laboratory-confirmed cases that are not experiencing any symptoms and having oxygen saturation at room air of more than 94 per cent, while the mild cases are patients with upper respiratory tract symptoms (and/or fever) without shortness of breath and having oxygen saturation at room air of more than 94 per cent.

    Those patients eligible for home isolation should be clinically assigned as mild or asymptomatic case by the treating medical officer and they should have the requisite facility at their residence for self-isolation and quarantining the family contacts.

    The caregiver and all close contacts of such cases should take Hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis in accordance with the protocol and as prescribed.

    The patients must isolate themselves from the other family members, stay in the identified room and away from others, especially elderly people and those with co-morbid conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, renal disease etc.

    The patients should be kept in well-ventilated rooms with cross-ventilation, the windows should be kept open to allow fresh air to come in and should at all times use a triple-layer medical mask, the guidelines read.

    “The mask should be discarded after eight hours of use or earlier if they become wet or visibly soiled. In the event of the caregiver entering the room, both the caregiver and the patient may consider using the N95 mask.

    “The masks should be discarded only after disinfecting it with one per cent sodium hypochlorite,” the guidelines stated.

    A caregiver should be available to provide care on a 24×7 basis.

    A communication link between the caregiver and the hospital is a prerequisite for the entire duration of home isolation.

    Patients suffering from an immune compromised status (HIV positive, transplant recipients, cancer therapy etc.) are not recommended for home isolation and shall only be allowed home isolation after a proper evaluation, the guidelines read.

    It advised the patients to take rest and drink lot of fluids to maintain adequate hydration, follow respiratory etiquettes at all times, not share personal items with others.

    “Ensure cleaning of surfaces in the room that are touched often (tabletops, doorknobs, handles etc.) with a one-per cent hypochlorite solution. Self-monitoring of blood oxygen saturation with a pulse oximeter is strongly advised,” the guidelines stated.

    According to the guidelines, the patients must be in communication with a treating physician and promptly report to the latter in case of any deterioration.

    They should continue the medications for other comorbidities after consulting the treating physician.

    Patients under home isolation will stand discharged after at least 10 days have passed from the onset of the symptoms (or from the date of sampling for asymptomatic cases) and no fever for three days.

    There is no need for testing after the home isolation period is over, the document stated.

  • Over 12.25 crore vaccination doses administered till now: Health Ministry

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: More than 12.25 crore vaccination doses have been given till now with over 25.65 lakh administered on Saturday, the health ministry said.

    In a statement, the ministry said that 60,057 COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs) were operational on Saturday, marking a rise of more than 15,000 operational Vaccination Centres (45,000 CVCs on an average are functional on any given day).

    “Workplace vaccinations have also enabled such a high turnout of beneficiaries,” the ministry said.

    The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 12,25,02,790 as per the 8 PM provisional report today.

    These include 91,27,451 Healthcare Workers (HCWs) who have taken the first dose and 57,07,322 HCWs who have taken the second dose.

    Also, among the frontline workers — 1,12,29,062 have got first dose and 55,08,179 have got second dose; for over 45 years old to 60 years old — 4,04,16,170 have got first dose and 10,76,752 have got second dose; for above 60 years — 4,55,60,187 got first dose and 38,77,667 have got second dose.

    A total of 25,65,179 vaccine doses were given till 8 PM today, the 92nd day of nationwide COVID19 vaccination.

    Out of these, 19,24,416 beneficiaries were vaccinated for first dose and 6,40,763 beneficiaries received second dose of the vaccine as per the provisional report.

  • 1,189 samples have tested positive for variants of concern of SARS COV-2 in India: Health Ministry

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A total of 1,189 samples have so far tested positive for variants of concern of SARS COV-2 in India, the health ministry said on Friday as the country is witnessing a steep surge in COVID-19 cases.

    These include 1,109 samples testing positive for the UK variants, 79 for the South Africa variant and one sample for the Brazil variant, the ministry said.

    Till April 15, 13,614 samples have been processed at the 10 designated INSACOG laboratories for whole genome sequencing (WGS), it added.

    “Of these, 1,189 samples have tested positive for variants of concern for SARS COV-2 in India. This includes 1,109 samples with the UK variants; 79 samples with the South Africa variant and one sample with the Brazil variant,” the ministry said.

    The coronavirus has been mutating and various mutations have been found in several countries, including the UK (17 mutations), Brazil (17 mutations) and South Africa (12 mutations).

    “These variants have a higher transmissibility. The UK variant has been found extensively in the UK, all across Europe and has spread to Asia and America.

    “The double mutation (two mutations) is another variant and has been found in several countries like Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Namibia, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the USA. Higher transmissibility of this variant is not established as yet,” the ministry said in a statement.

    It said the RT-PCR tests being conducted in India do not miss these mutations as these tests target more than two genes. The sensitivity and specificity of the RT-PCR tests remain the same as earlier, it said.

    “The detection of these mutations does not change the strategy of management which remains to test, track, trace and treat. The use of masks remains as the most important shield to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” the ministry stressed.

    It said the INSACOG guidelines were shared with the states again and they were advised to send samples for genome sequencing by also providing the clinical data of positive persons.

    This will enable a great epidemiological insight into the link of the surge at various places to the variants as well as enable the INSACOG to discover other variants of concern, if present in the community.

    Many states, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala, are yet to share the data with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), though Punjab and Delhi have shared the information, the ministry highlighted.

    The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) is a network of 10 laboratories established in December 2020 for continuously monitoring the genomic changes of SARS-CoV-2 in the country through WGS.

    The SOPs for epidemiological surveillance and response in the context of a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in the UK were disseminated to all the states as well as placed on the ministry’s website on December 22, 2020.

    According to the INSACOG guidelines, positive samples are sourced for WGS from international travellers who are positive by RT-PCR, community samples are coordinated by the state surveillance officers, who facilitate the transfer of samples from the districts or laboratories to the designated INSACOG laboratories. All states have been mapped to specific INSACOG laboratories.

    The 10 identified INSACOG laboratories report their sequencing results to the Central Surveillance Unit (CSU) of the NCDC, from where it is shared with the state surveillance units (SSUs) of the IDSP through email as well as regular meetings by the NCDC with the state surveillance officers, who, in turn, take up the operational response with the health secretaries.

    Hence, the states are continuously informed of the virus variants found in other states, the ministry said. In a few instances, the INSACOG laboratories have also communicated the results directly to the states.

    The NCDC has also communicated state-specific results formally to the states concerned from time to time. The results of Himachal Pradesh were communicated on April 8, those of Punjab were communicated on March 26, those of Rajasthan on April 10 and those of Maharashtra were shared with the state on nine different occasions from March 12 to April 16.

    Written communications on the need for more stringent measures were sent at regular intervals not just to the high-burden states, but all the states by the secretary (health), assistant secretary (health), NCDC director and IDSP to the chief secretaries, ACS health, SSOs, DHSs etc.

    The states and Union territories were repeatedly asked to keep a strict vigil and take up stringent public health measures in view of the unlock provisions and new strains being reported from various countries.

    Press briefings conducted by the health ministry provide specific updates on the current status of the variants of concern and the new mutants, and also stress on increased and stringent public health interventions.

    At a press briefing on March 24, the NCDC director made a detailed presentation on various variants of the coronavirus detected in the country, the ministry said.

  • COVID-19 spreading faster than last time in India, next four weeks critical, says Centre

    By Online Desk
    The Health Ministry officials addressing the media on Tuesday confirmed that Covid is spreading faster than ever before while terming the situation in Chhattisgarh to be a cause of concern.

    A day after India’s daily COVID cases crossed one lakh for the first time since the pandemic, the Health Ministry officials said that Chhattisgarh’s Durg was among the top 10 districts with high active COVID cases. Other districts s included seven in Maharashtra, including Mumbai and Pune, and one in Karnataka.

    The intensity of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased in India and it is spreading faster than last time, they added.

    According to Health Ministry, Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh remain states of maximum concern on account of high daily COVID-19 cases, deaths.

    At the press conference, NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr V K Paul said the pandemic situation in the country worsened with a sharp rise in cases and a large part of the population is still susceptible to the virus.

    “The intensity of the pandemic has increased and it is spreading faster than last time. In some states, it (the condition) is worse than others but the upswing (in cases) can be observed across the country,” he said.

    “People’s participation is vital to control the second wave. The next four weeks are going to very critical. The entire country has to come together and make efforts to fight the pandemic.”

    He said the number of coronavirus cases is increasing and along with that mortality is also on the rise.

    “Still, in terms of the population size and in terms of deaths per million we are doing well and the pandemic is in control.”

    Detailing the COVID-19 situation in India, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said Chhattisgarh’s Durg is among the top 10 districts with high active COVID cases.

    “Among these 10 districts, seven are in Maharashtra and one in Karnataka. Delhi, counted as one district, is also in the list.”

    The 10 districts with the highest number of new cases are Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Bengaluru Urban, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Delhi and Durg, he said.

    Bhushan further said that Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh still remain states of maximum concern.

    “Given their population, the number of deaths being reported by Punjab and Chhatisgarh is a cause of extreme concern,” he said.

    The Centre has constituted 50 high-level multi-disciplinary public health teams and deployed them to districts reporting a surge in cases and mortality in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Punjab, the Union health secretary said.

    These teams were being deployed in 30 districts of Maharashtra, 11 of Chhattisgarh and nine of Punjab.

    Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal were among the states that administered the maximum number of COVID vaccine doses, Bhushan said and emphasised that the immunisation drive has to be ramped up in a scientific manner.

    “Chhattisgarh is a cause of concern for us. Despite being a small state, it reports 6% of total COVID cases and 3% of total deaths in the country. The condition of Chhattisgarh has deteriorated in the second wave of infections,” said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.

    Stressing the need for RT-PCR tests, the Health Secretary said we have asked state governments to increase the percentage of RT-PCR tests, which had been falling in Maharashtra in the last few weeks.

    Only 60% of total tests were done using the RT-PCR method in Maharashtra last week. We suggest states to take it to 70% or above, he explained.

    Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal were among states that administered the maximum number of COVID vaccine doses, it was noted.

    In India, 96,982 daily cases have been reported in a span of 24 hours, while the death toll increased to 1,65,547 with 446 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

    (With agencies inputs)