WEB DESK
The Centre today held a high-level review meeting with 12 States and Union Territories which are reporting surge in COVID-19 Cases.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan chaired the review meeting today with Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and Health Secretaries of States and Municipal Commissioners and District Collectors of 46 districts that are the most affected by rising cases and mortality because of COVID-19.
These States are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Punjab and Bihar.
During the meeting, the States were advised to focus on stringent containment and public health measures in 46 high burden districts.
Through a detailed presentation, the States were informed that the country has seen the sharpest rise in weekly COVID cases and fatalities since May last year.
The focus was on 46 districts that have contributed 71 per cent of the cases and 69 per cent of the deaths this month.
Of total 36 districts in Maharashtra, 25 are most affected that account for 59.8 per cent of the cases reported in the country during the past one week.
It was also highlighted that the concept of second wave reflected more the laxity among everyone regarding COVID Appropriate Behaviour and COVID containment and management strategy at the ground level.
Hence stringent action including effective containment and contact tracing for at least 14 successive days in the 46 districts was strongly recommended for breaking the chain of transmission and not frittering away the gains of collaborative efforts of last year.
The Health Ministry said that a five-fold strategy was laid out for adoption by the States and UTs for effective containment and management of the COVID pandemic.
They include Exponential Increase in Testing, Effective Isolation and Contact Tracing of those infected, Re-invigoration of Public and Private Healthcare resources, Ensuring of COVID Appropriate Behaviour and Targeted approach to Vaccination in districts reporting large numbers.
States also advised enforcement of COVID appropriate behaviour through penal measures like heavy fines which send strong exemplary message among the people.
It also stressed on muted celebrations of festivals like Holi, Shab-e-baraat and Easter with emphasis on keeping the celebrations inside the confines of the house.
States were informed that 70 per cent of the cases can be controlled by adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour alone.
States were asked to focus on universalization of vaccination in the specified priority population age groups as an aid to containment strategy in districts where maximum cases are being reported.