THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Union health ministry has yet again pulled up Kerala for the reduced number of Covid tests being done in the state. The ministry has directed the state to step up surveillance and adopt a five-point strategy -- (test, track, treat, vaccinate and Covid-appropriate adherence -- to tackle the spike in the pandemic cases.The ministry has also directed Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Telangana to ensure the same.
As per the data released by the Union ministry, Kerala has been reporting high average daily new cases for the past one month. Kerala has contributed 7.8% of India’s weekly new cases and recorded a weekly test positivity rate of 10.41%. On Friday, Kerala reported 1,364 new cases. In a letter to principal secretary Tinku Biswal dated August 5, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan has advised the state to ensure adequate testing in all districts in view of the upcoming festival season as the state is expected to witness mass gatherings.
As per the letter, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Kollam and Ernakulam are among the districts that have reported more than 10% weekly TPR. The ministry also pointed out that 13 of the 14 districts have reported a decline in the number of total tests conducted in the week ending August 4 as compared to the week ending July 28. The ministry has advised the state to closely monitor districts reporting more cases, high TPR and clusters to prevent further spread of infection.
“Testing is very important as the state is still battling Covid and even Omicron infection can become fatal for the elderly population. There is a surge in Covid cases in the state and people are not taking it very seriously as the severity of the infection is less. Especially after the school reopening, the spread of Covid among children has gone up,” said Indian Medical Association (IMA) state president Dr Samuel Koshy. He said many people are facing severe post-Covid issues. “We cannot ignore Covid and testing needs to be done. More priority should be given to prevention and Covid-appropriate behaviour,” he added.
With the number of tests coming down, health experts have advised the public to strictly adhere to social distancing norms. “People having Covid-related symptoms should avoid interaction with others. All hospitals are flooded with patients because of the rise in infectious diseases. School reopening and monsoon have worsened the situation. The number of inpatients is way more than the allotted bed strength at every hospital,” said state secretary Dr T N Suresh, Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA).
He said the government hospitals are facing a heavy shortage of doctors. “Around 150 sanctioned posts are lying vacant in the state. We don’t have enough resources to meet the doctor-patient ratio. Earlier, the government had promised to provide more doctors with the support of local self-government department,” he added.