Centre directs over 35 districts to fully utilise RT-PCR testing to curb COVID-19 transmission

The Centre directed over 35 districts across the country to make full utilisation of RT-PCR testing to curb COVID-19 transmission and bring mortality rate below one percent.

These districts include those which are exhibiting a high surge of coronavirus cases, viral caseload, and fatality due to the virus.

A high-level meeting through video conferencing was held by Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary with the health secretaries of six states and two Union Territories (UTs) on the containment and management of COVID-19 in over 35 districts under their jurisdiction.

According to the Health Ministry, these districts comprise of Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas, and 24 South Parganas in West Bengal; Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Kolhapur, Sangli, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Raigad, Jalgaon, Solapur, Satara, Palghar, Aurangabad, Dhule and Nanded in Maharashtra; Surat in Gujarat; East Singhbhum in Jharkhand; Puducherry, and all 11 districts in Delhi, apart from those in Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh.

Bhushan advised the state and district administration to limit and break the spread of the COVID infection by implementing stringent containment measures and ensuring social distancing measures are being followed apart from, strict perimeter control, and active house-to-house case search.

He asked the state government to ensure early identification by ramping up testing across the districts, and optimal utilisation of RT-PCR testing capacity.

Effective monitoring of home isolation cases and early hospitalisation in case of disease progression should be done, especially in cases of the co-morbid and elderly population.

Hospitals have to follow effective infection control measures to safeguard healthcare workers from contracting the disease while district collectors have to prepare and update district-specific plans to continue their efforts to manage the pandemic with the same rigor, said the government official.

"The Union Secretary underscored the need to suppress, curb and eventually break the chain of transmission of the infectious disease by strengthening the active case search focusing on the co-morbid and elderly population; revisiting and strengthening the containment measures in the affected areas; and scaling up the testing to decrease the positivity rates below 5 percent," a government statement read.

Meanwhile, the state health secretaries presented a detailed analysis of the current status of COVID-19 in the districts and on the containment measures being implemented. They also discussed the detailed roadmaps and action plans for the coming month with the Central government.

( With inputs from ANI )