The Centre said all districts that have reported more than 10 per cent positivity rate in recent weeks should consider imposing strict restrictions to avoid spreading of further infection.
The Union Health Ministry has asked states to impose strict restrictions in all districts that are currently recording a positivity rate of more than 10 per cent. The Centre said states must ensure that effective measures are taken to prevent crowding and intermingling of people in these districts.
Positivity rate is the percentage of samples that test positive for a disease out of the total samples tested. A high positivity rate shows that the disease has spread to a greater degree among the sampled population.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said all districts that have reported a positivity rate of more than 10 per cent in recent weeks need to consider imposing strict restrictions.
“This should be done to prevent/curtail movement of people, formation of crowds and intermingling of people to prevent spread of the viral infection,” he said. “Any laxity at this stage will result in deterioration of the situation in these districts,” he added.
Also read: Coronavirus Cases On The Rise Again, Kerala Accounts For 50% Of New Infections
The 10 states that are showing a rise in Covid-19 cases are: Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Manipur.
The Centre has also advised states to increase Covid-19 testing and vaccination in the critical districts and to prioritise administration of the second dose of Covid-19 vaccines to the vulnerable population.
In regards to active cases in home isolation, the Ministry said, “There is a need to effectively and strictly monitor these cases so that they are not intermingling and circulating in their neighborhoods, community, village, mohalla, ward etc., and spreading the infection.”
The Union Health Secretary added that Covid-19 patients in home isolation should be “effectively monitored” in such a manner to ensure that those who require hospitalisation are seamlessly transferred for timely clinical treatment.
The ministry also told the states to advise its private hospitals to set up medical oxygen plants in their premises to meet their requirements.
“The Union government has been supporting states by providing oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders and PSA plants. In addition to this, states are using their own resources to put up PSA plants in government hospitals. States are advised to direct private hospitals to put up hospital-based PSA plants,” the ministry said.
He urged states to ramp up their testing, vaccination and conduct their state-level sero-surveys in collaboration with the ICMR to ensure uniform protocols.
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