Centre asks states to ramp up tests, screen international passengers

Centre directed states to enhance surveillance on international passengers and increase RT-PCR tests for early identification of positive cases

Mumbai The Union health ministry directed the State government to enhance surveillance on international passengers and increase RT-PCR tests for early identification of positive cases and for effective containment of Omicron variant.

Centres has asked states to enhance surveillance on international passengers (HT FIle)

The ministry held a meeting with all health secretaries of the states and Union Territories on Tuesday.

A health department official said that the centre directed the states to prepare hospital infrastructure and increase medicine capacities. “The new variant is said to be more virulent and rapid in transmission. Therefore, the ministry has directed the states to remain prepared with additional health infrastructure, including beds, ICUs, medical use oxygen, ventilators etc. Besides, the focus should be on rural areas and paediatric cases as per the emergency Covid-19 response protocol,” the senior official said, requesting anonymity.

Another senior health department official said that the ministry strictly asked the states to adhere to the Covid guidelines. Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the variant can be detected in an RT-PCR, meanwhile, studies are ongoing on whether there is any impact on Rapid Antigen Tests.

“The Centre has asked states to increase tests, increase surveillance, effective contact tracing, and have institutional and home quarantine. Besides, we have to push the vaccination drive and push information, communication and education activities to promote Covid-appropriate behaviour to tackle the threat of Omicron,” said the official, who did not wish to be named.

State health minister Rajesh Tope said that the state government would follow the guidelines strictly. “They have asked us to increase RT-PCRs, quarantine the international passengers, re-do the RT-PCR test on the eighth day, promptly send positive reports for genomic sequencing, etc. We will follow the guidelines,” said Tope. The minister added that the state has mandated a seven-day institutional quarantine for international passengers coming from ‘at-risk’ countries.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting with all district collectors and city commissioners on Omicron preparedness on Sunday. Thackeray also took stock of the availability of hospital beds, liquid medical oxygen, PSA plants, oxygen concentrators, and the available medicines, including Remdesivir, Tocilizumab, Ivermectin, and others.