NEW DELHI: The Centre is not letting its guard down in the fight against Covid-19. The health ministry is worried about the test positivity rate in seven states. They have districts where this is between 5% to 10%. There are three states with districts with a positivity rate of over 10%.
Drawing attention towards three states, the Centre has asked them to maintain strict watch on the situation with focussed district-level measures for containment of clusters of new cases. In a letter to states and UTs, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said 19 districts in Kerala, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Manipur, West Bengal and Nagaland have been reporting positivity rates between 5% and 10% in the last two weeks. Positivity rate has been more than 10% in eight districts in Mizoram, Kerala and Sikkim in the last two weeks.
“These 27 districts need to be monitored very closely,” Bhushan said. He said it is essential for these states and UTs to maintain vigil on the situation with focussed district-level measures for containment of clusters of new cases. “In case of any district reporting a surge in cases, or rise in positivity rates, intensive action and local containment as per the containment framework must be initiated.”
“Strategic containment interventions in identified areas with test positivity rate of over 10% or over 60% bed occupancy on either two supported or ICU beds, include night curfews, restricting intermingling of people, prohibition of congregations (social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious, festival-related), curtailment of attendees in marriages and funerals or last rites, etc,” he said.
Testing and surveillance interventions include ramping up testing and active case search, testing of influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infection cases through rapid antigen tests and retesting by RT-PCR of symptomatic negative rapid antigen tests.
“Strict adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour at all places and at all times must also be enforced and monitored,” Bhushan said. He said adequate advance information to the community, highlighting the need for stringent containment actions.
