COVID-19 Cases: The Center Has Asked Some States To Increase RT-PCR Testing (Representational)
New Delhi:
The government today sent high-level teams to 10 states and territories of the Union that have experienced an increase in Covid cases, warning that the relaxation of the rules and measures to control the infection will intensify the crisis, given the appearance of new strains. virus.
The Secretary of Health has also written to seven states and Union territories about the recent outbreak of virus cases and has recommended specific steps.
Three-member multidisciplinary teams have been dispatched to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Jammu and Kashmir.
Each team is led by officials at the deputy secretary level of the Ministry of Health.
These teams will work closely with state administrations and investigate the reasons for the increase in cases. They will also coordinate with the health authorities of the states and territories of the Union to take measures to break the chain of transmission, the Ministry of Health said.
States have been asked to conduct a periodic critical review of the emerging situation with officials from the affected districts.
Additionally, the Center has written to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir, where there has been an increase in daily cases, along with a drop in the proportion of RT-PCR tests.
The Center has asked these states to increase RT-PCR testing and conduct both types of testing in a targeted manner in the worst affected districts.
Those who show symptoms but are negative on rapid antigen tests should undergo RT-PCR testing, the government said. The Center has also called for a strict follow-up of the contacts of all positive cases.
Maharashtra and Kerala alone account for 75% of the country’s current active cases after a surge in new infections in recent days.
Maharashtra recorded the highest number of 6218 new cases today, followed by Kerala (4,034), Tamil Nadu (449), Punjab (414) and Karnataka (383). Maharashtra reported 51 deaths in the past 24 hours, followed by Kerala with 14 and Punjab 10, Tamil Nadu, six and Karnataka, four, the Health Ministry said.
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