Implement the containment activities to stop the spread: Health Ministry to states

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has written to all the states to ensure health system preparedness at the earliest.

This includes the creation of additional isolation beds, ambulances, drugs and diagnostics among other things.

A letter written by the health secretary Rajesh Bhushan says that Omicron infection is showing an increase globally and in India also its trajectory is showing an upward trend.

The letter said, "A large number of positive cases may be eligible for home isolation. These cases would require effective follow-up and a clearly defined mechanism for prompt shifting to a health facility in case of deterioration in their health situation.”

It adds, "Special teams be constituted to monitor all home isolation cases, call centres, control rooms must aid outbound calling for monitoring such patients and ensuring that all such cases can be shifted to an appropriate health facility through dedicated ambulances.”

Mr Bhushan said that a mechanism wherein citizens can call and get the ambulance and a bed in a transparent manner needs to be operationalised. “The call centres, district or state-level dashboards/portals can play an important role in organising the same," the letter said.

It adds, “A clear focus on rural areas and pediatric cases must also be maintained. States need to regularly review the availability of required logistics, oxygen availability and buffer stock of drugs across all health facilities in the state.”

Highlighting the need for effective contact tracing coupled with the quarantine of contacts, including facility quarantine for high risk and comorbid contacts, he says, “Sufficient number of quarantine facilities shall accordingly be planned across the state.”