NEW DELHI: Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Friday said a few states were reporting a higher contribution to India’s Covid caseload, indicating the possibility of a localised spread of the infection.
“There is a need to follow a risk assessment-based approach on public health responses without losing the gains made so far in the fight against the pandemic,” he said in his letter to five states that have seen a rise in cases recently.
Bhushan also mentioned that a sustained and significant decline in cases has been observed over the past three months. However, a slight upsurge in new infections and the weekly positivity rate is being noticed in the week ending June 3.
States have been asked to refer to the directions issued in a letter by the ministry dated April 8, 2022 for strategic areas of intervention, like relaxation in activities, testing and surveillance, clinical management, vaccination and community engagement with an increased focus on evidence-based decision-making. They have been advised to continue monitoring of necessary measures for effective management of Covid and ensure compliance with advisories issued by the ministry.
The five-fold strategy of test-track-treat-vaccination and adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour should be followed, along with monitoring of clusters of new Covid cases and adequate testing as per guidelines, Bhushan said in the letter.
Both Maharashtra and Kerala have been reporting over 1,000 daily cases in the past three days apart from the five states the letter was sent to, others that have seen an uptick include West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa.
“There is a need to follow a risk assessment-based approach on public health responses without losing the gains made so far in the fight against the pandemic,” he said in his letter to five states that have seen a rise in cases recently.
Bhushan also mentioned that a sustained and significant decline in cases has been observed over the past three months. However, a slight upsurge in new infections and the weekly positivity rate is being noticed in the week ending June 3.
States have been asked to refer to the directions issued in a letter by the ministry dated April 8, 2022 for strategic areas of intervention, like relaxation in activities, testing and surveillance, clinical management, vaccination and community engagement with an increased focus on evidence-based decision-making. They have been advised to continue monitoring of necessary measures for effective management of Covid and ensure compliance with advisories issued by the ministry.
The five-fold strategy of test-track-treat-vaccination and adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour should be followed, along with monitoring of clusters of new Covid cases and adequate testing as per guidelines, Bhushan said in the letter.
Both Maharashtra and Kerala have been reporting over 1,000 daily cases in the past three days apart from the five states the letter was sent to, others that have seen an uptick include West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa.