COVID-19: Centre Advises States, UTs To Gear Up ‘Testing, Tracking And Treatment’ Strategy During Festivities

New Delhi: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday (October 29) reviewed the status of response measures to COVID-19 in West Bengal, Delhi and Kerala and advised the states and Union Territories (UTs) to gear up testing, tracking and treatment strategy during the festive season. Mr Bhushan has advised these states and UTs to ensure enforcement of precautionary measures like maintaining social distancing, sanitisation, wearing of masks, etc. On Thursday, Delhi has reported 29,378 active COVID cases with a fatality rate of 1.76 per cent and a positivity rate of 7.9 per cent. As many as 5,673 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours.

There has been nearly 46 per cent increase in the new COVID cases over the past four weeks. The positivity rate over the last four weeks has escalated by nearly 9 per cent. The rising cases were attributed by the Delhi team to social gatherings during the festivities, the deteriorating air quality, increasing incidences of respiratory disorders, and clusters of positive cases at work places. The fatigue among frontline workers was also discussed, said the Health Ministry in a statement.

Also Read: With Rise In COVID-19 Cases In Delhi, Health Minister Satyendar Jain Hints At The Possibility Of The Third Wave

Similarly, West Bengal has 37,111 active cases as of Thursday. The case fatality rate of the state stands at 1.84 per cent and the positivity rate is 8.3 per cent. The State has registered 3,924 new cases in the last 24 hours, while the average daily cases have recorded 23 per cent increase over the last four weeks.

There is a 1 per cent increase in the positivity rate over the last four weeks. Darjeeling, Nadia, Medinipur West, Jalpaiguri, Hooghly are the top districts showing an increasing trend in cases. Whereas, Murshidabad, Nadia, Coochbehar, Kolkata and Darjeeling have registered increase in the weekly deaths last week. The tests per million population (TPM) stand at 41,261 whereas the national TPM is 77,220, informed the Health Ministry.

Also Read: Some COVID-19 ‘Long Haulers’ Experience Lasting Skin Problems, States A New Analysis

The Centre has advised West Bengal health authorities were advised not to compromise on testing and keep the level of daily tests at a higher level with greater proportion of RT-PCR tests.

Kerala has shown a rising trend in COVID cases with total active cases stood at 93,369. As per the government data, the average daily cases have recorded 11 per cent increase over the last four weeks. The number of new cases in the last 14 days is 98,778. In the last 24 hours, Kerala has registered the maximum number of new cases with 8,790 cases. Thrissur, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram are the top districts showing increasing trend in COVID cases.

Also Read: With The Second Most Active Cases In The Country, Kerala Observes A Spike In COVID Cases, Here’s Why

According to the Health Ministry, Kerala has been demonstrated better results in terms of COVID fatality. The fatality rate of state stands at 0.34 per cent, although there has been increase in the weekly deaths in Thrissur (133 per cent), Kollam (75 per cent), Alappuzha (31 per cent), Ernakulam (30 per cent), and Kannur (15 per cent).

The government further said that the tests per million of the population are 66,755 and the positivity rate is at a significantly high level of 16.5 per cent. The positivity rate has registered a 41 per cent increase over the last four weeks.

It was mentioned that the increase in the new cases due to festivities is a grave concern. The state has been suggested to ramp up IEC practices and promote mask-wearing with more rigour. It was advised to ensure proper standard of care and early identification as well as early hospitalisation of cases.

The Ministry also suggested to regularly monitor the symptom development and hospitalisation trend amongst the home isolated patients and focus on rapid contact tracing, and quick isolation of the traced contacts to be effectively enforced.

Also Read: Exclusive: Serum Institute’s Adar Poonawalla On The Status of Coronavirus Vaccine ‘Covishield’, Its Pricing And More

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.