Centre puts 8 states on alert amid COVID-19 surge
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Friday directed eight states to take proactive measures in view of the rising COVID-19 cases in India. In a letter to Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Haryana, and Delhi, Bhushan said the pandemic was still not over. According to Union Health Ministry's data on Saturday, India recorded 12,193 cases in the last 24 hours.
Why does this story matter?
With fresh cases, India's COVID-19 tally has gone up to 4,48,81,877. The official data also revealed that the country's death toll increased to 5,31,300 with 42 new fatalities. Meanwhile, the active caseload stands at 67,556. The ministry said that a rise in the positivity rate has been noted across the country, with 5.5 % positivity reported in the week ending on Wednesday.
What did Bhushan's letter say?
Per News18, Bhushan in his letter said that states or districts reporting a higher number of COVID-19 cases may indicate the localized spread of infection. "Therefore, it is essential to closely monitor these states or districts, which have high daily cases and/or high-test positivity rates, and institute necessary public health measures to control and contain surges in the initial stages," he added.
Focus on Test-Track-Treat-Vaccination strategy: Centre
Bhushan further stressed on the pandemic control strategy called Test-Track-Treat-Vaccination, adding that it was also important to monitor the trends of influenza-like illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) cases regularly. "Increase the number of COVID-19-positive samples sent for Whole Genomic Sequencing through the INSACOG network of laboratories, especially from any new clusters of cases detected in the community," Bhushan added.
New COVID-19 variant potential cause behind surge
Advising states to strengthen health infrastructure, Bhushan said ensuring the availability of essential drugs and equipment, adequately trained manpower, and promoting vaccination was a must. The Centre has already given states adequate financial support under various financial packages and PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) scheme. Notably, the new XBB.1.16 sub-variant, called Arcturus, appears to be the cause behind the recent surge in infections.
