News Analysis India

Tag: institutional quarantine

  • Institutional quarantine must for evacuees from Afghanistan

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Through a fresh order, the Union Health Ministry has made institutional quarantine mandatory for evacuees from Afghanistan who are coming to India following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. 

    The order, issued on Monday, said the health ministry has already allowed exemption from mandatory pre-boarding RTPCR testing, which is a requirement for all international travelers coming to India. 

    However, said the government, the Covid immunisation status of the evacuees is unknown and the exact extent of Covid transmission including circulation of variants in Afghanistan is also unclear at present. 

    ALSO READ | mRNA vaccine by Gennova gets regulatory nod for efficacy trials

    “..as a matter of abundant precaution, it has been decided that the arriving persons shall undergo a mandatory minimum 14 days’ institutional quarantine” at the ITBP  Chhawla camp in the national capital, said the ministry order. 

    On Tuesday, 78 passengers from Afghanistan, including 25 Indian citizens arrived in Delhi today via Tajikistan’s Dushanbe. Earlier, Indian authorities on Monday had evacuated 75 Sikhs amid the deteriorating situation in war-torn Afghanistan.

    So far, nearly 400 individuals from Kabul have been evacuated that covered Indian citizens as well as Afghan nationals including Sikhs and Hindus from there. 

    On Tuesday, there were reports that three of the evacuees had tested positive for Covid19 upon arrival, two of them—though with only minor symptoms—had been admitted to a government hospital.

  • ‘Opt for institutional quarantine’: Assam to Covid positive parents as 34,000 kids infected in 3 months

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Concerned over an alarming rise in Covid-19 infection among children, the Assam government has advised Covid positive parents to opt for institutional quarantine instead of home quarantine to keep children protected against the virus.

    From April 1 to June 26 this year, the total number of Covid-infected persons in the state was 2,80,504. They included 34,606 children up to the age of 18 years. Further analysis showed that 5,755 of the children were aged less than five years and 28,851 aged 6-18 years.

    Kamrup (Metropolitan) district has the highest caseload with 5,346. This stands at 10.04% of the total caseload of 53,251 in the district.

    Official sources said during the period, the state recorded 34 deaths among children. Many of them had comorbidities like congenital diseases (heart, kidney, rare malformations etc), especially among less than the five-year-old.

    ALSO READ | ‘Will ensure Muslims take initiative on population control’: Assam CM Himanta outlines 10-year vision

    According to the sources, during the ongoing Assam Community Surveillance Programme Phase 3, many children staying with Covid-infected parents or guardians, who had opted for home isolation, subsequently tested positive.

    The sources said the Health Department was strictly following the guidelines issued by the Centre on pediatric Covid management and initiated a slew of steps to address and manage infection among the vulnerable age groups.

    “Establishment of Covid pediatric ICUs at all medical colleges and district hospitals are at advanced stage. Over 5,000 healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff, have already been trained and are dealing with the patients so that we can save maximum lives. The 108 ambulances have also been trained to transport such infected children with appropriate care,” the sources said.

    Meanwhile, 12 Covid patients died at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital within 24 hours. Nine of the patients were admitted in ICU.

    The hospital authority said the patients’ oxygen saturation level was very low at the time of admission and their condition was critical. None of them was vaccinated for Covid.