NEW DELHI: In the wake of the increase in new daily cases of Covid-19 in some states, the Center on Wednesday delegated high-level multidisciplinary teams to visit 10 states that have witnessed an increase in the number of infections.
The core teams will visit Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to find out why the increase in cases.
The teams will support states in public health measures for Covid’s targeted response and management, the ministry of health said.
The Center advised states and UTs to conduct regular reviews of the emerging situation with concerned district officials to ensure that the gains made so far in managing Covid are not lost.
The Center also wrote to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab and J&K. “States should focus on taking aggressive measures to break the chain of transmission and ensure that the RT-PCR test is expanded to eliminate previously undetected cases from the population,” said health secretary Rajesh Bhushan in the letter.
These states / UT were advised to increase testing in a targeted manner in the affected districts and ensure that all negative symptoms of antigen testing are mandatorily tested through RT-PCR testing. Those with a positive test should be immediately isolated or hospitalized, all of their close contacts must be screened and also tested without delay, said Bhushan.
“Any negligence in implementing rigorous measures to contain the spread, especially in view of new strains of the virus seen in some countries, can worsen the situation,” he added.
