Center calls on states to step up testing and screen international passengers | Bombay News

Mumbai Union Health Ministry ordered state government to strengthen surveillance of international passengers and increase RT-PCR testing for early identification of positive cases and for effective containment of the variant Omicron.

The ministry held a meeting on Tuesday with all state and union health secretaries.

A health department official said the center has called on states to prepare hospital infrastructure and increase medical capacity. The new variant would be more virulent and faster in transmission. Therefore, the ministry ordered states to remain prepared with additional health infrastructure, including beds, intensive care units, medical oxygen, ventilators, and more. In addition, the focus should be on rural areas and pediatric cases in accordance with the Covid-19 emergency response protocol, the senior official said, requesting anonymity.

Another senior health department official said the ministry has strictly urged states to adhere to Covid guidelines. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the variant can be detected in RT-PCR, while studies are underway to determine if there is an impact on rapid antigen testing .

The Center called on states to increase testing, increase surveillance, effectively tracing contacts, and establishing institutional and home quarantine. In addition, we must push the vaccination campaign and push information, communication and education activities to promote appropriate behavior in Covid to deal with the Omicron threat, said the official, who did not wished to be named.

State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the state government will strictly follow the guidelines. They asked us to increase RT-PCRs, quarantine international passengers, re-do the RT-PCR test on the eighth day, promptly send positive reports for genomic sequencing, etc. We will follow the guidelines, Tope said. The minister added that the state had imposed a seven-day institutional quarantine for international passengers from countries at risk.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting with all district collectors and city commissioners on Omicron preparation on Sunday. Thackeray also provided an update on the availability of hospital beds, liquid medical oxygen, PSA factories, oxygen concentrators and available drugs including Remdesivir, Tocilizumab, Ivermectin and others.