Dimapur, JAnuary 3 (MExN): Amid a significant rise in COVID-19 cases across the country, Union Secretary for Health and Family Welfare Rajesh Bhushan has written to the chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories to take measures to deal with a possible surge in COVID cases.
In a letter issued to the states and UTs, Bhushan said in the context of the spread of Omicron variant of concern, the world is currently reporting the highest ever surge in COVID-19 cases with India alone reporting 16,764 cases on December 31—the highest ever single day rise in past 70 days.
Many developed nations in Europe and Americas are reporting a significant rise in new cases in the past weeks, which indicates high transmissibility of the virus, Bhushan wrote.
“It is imperative to re-emphasise the significance of timely and swift upgradation of health infrastructure in all states and UTs,” he said. Stating that the country may start seeing a stressed health infrastructure with the sudden increase in cases, he advised the states and UTs start the process of setting up makeshift hospitals and constitute special teams to monitor patients in home isolation.
Bhushan said to address a potential surge in cases, with a view to ensure preparedness, “states are advised to initiate creation of field or makeshift hospitals.” This, he said, can be done with “coordination with DRDO and CSIR as well as the private sector, corporations, NGOs, etc.”
According to Secretary Bhushan, states and UTs have already been advised to ensure health system preparedness by utilising the existing ECRP-II budget under different components (for creation of additional isolation beds and field hospitals, ICU beds, paediatric excellence centres, availability of oxygen, ambulances, drugs and diagnostics, human resources and tele-consolation platforms) at the earliest.
He also said a large number of cases may be eligible for home isolation. “These cases would require effective follow-up and a clearly defined mechanism for prompt shifting to a health facility in case of deterioration in their health situation,” he stated in the letter.
Noting that it is particularly important for all states to monitor their home isolation protocol and its actual implementation at the field level, Bushan said that special teams should be consulted to monitor all home isolation cases and call centres or control rooms must aid outbound calling for monitoring such patients and ensuring that all such cases can be shifted to an appropriate health facility though dedicated ambulances.
“A clearly defined mechanism to access testing, ambulance and hospital beds need to be put in place and communicated to the public at large,” he said, adding that call centres, district or state level dashboards or portals can play an important role in organising the same.
Stressing on the need to ensure the operational readiness of existing COVID dedicated health infrastructures, Secretary Bhushan said a clear focus on rural areas and pediatric cases must also be maintained. “States need to regularly review the availability of required logistics, oxygen availability and buffer stock of drugs across all health facilities in the state,” he said.
Further emphasising on the need for effective contract tracing, containment activities and quarantine facilities to contain the spread of infection, Bhushan stated that this is the critical time to strengthen the country’s efforts in curbing the spread of the virus, maintaining the momentum and building on the progress made so far.
