TNI Bureau: In the midst of a global COVID upsurge, Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday virtually interacted with State Health Ministers and Principal Secretaries/ Additional Chief Secretaries and Information Commissioners on COVID preparedness and vaccination strategy. “Centre and States need to work in tandem and in a collaborative spirit as was done during the previous surges for COVID19 prevention and management” he said. The meeting was held with Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health, and Dr. V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog.
The union Health minister cited the Hon. Prime Minister’s statement from yesterday’s high level review meeting and urged States to remain on high alert and maintain full preparedness for COVID19 management. States were urged to maintain their proactive and preventative approach.
In order to ensure prompt detection of any additional variations circulating in the nation, he advised States to expand the surveillance system for whole genome sequencing of positive case samples and follow the variants through the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network.
The tried-and-true COVID management strategy, according to Dr. Mandaviya, is still “Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate & Adherence to COVID Appropriate Behavior,” regardless of the new COVID variants.
States receive briefings:
States and UTs received briefings on both the domestic and global COVID-19 situations. They were reminded that in June 2022, the Union Health Ministry had already released “Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in context of COVID-19,” which calls for the early detection, isolation, testing, and prompt management of suspected and confirmed cases. Mandaviya asked States and UTs to make sure that the same was implemented effectively.
The Hon. Prime Minister and the union Health minister presided over timely review sessions, and the Union Health Ministry’s advisory were well-received by the states. They pledged to collaborate with the Center for the optimal management and prevention of COVID-19. They stated that they are keeping watch and evaluating the current scenario. States also confirmed that a mock drill for hospital infrastructure preparation will be held on December 27, 2022.
With Inputs from PIB