SRINAGAR: The Centre has issued an advisory to all the states and union territories following a recent surge in COVID-19 cases and the identification of the first case of the JN.1 variant in India.
The Union Health Secretary, Shri Sudhansh Pant, stressed the importance of maintaining constant vigilance over the COVID situation in the country. Despite collaborative efforts between the Centre and State Governments that have kept infection rates low, the Health Secretary emphasised the need to sustain momentum in effectively addressing public health challenges.
Ahead of the upcoming festive season, States were advised to implement necessary public health measures to minimize the risk of increased disease transmission by adhering to respiratory hygiene practices.
The Health Secretary highlighted critical COVID control and management strategies, including effective compliance with operational guidelines for revised surveillance strategies provided by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
States were instructed to monitor and report district-wise cases of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) regularly. This information should be submitted through the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal to detect early trends in case numbers. Additionally, States were directed to ensure sufficient testing in all districts in line with COVID-19 testing guidelines, maintaining the recommended ratio of RT-PCR and Antigen tests.
Encouraging an increase in RT-PCR tests, States were advised to send positive samples for genome sequencing to Indian SARS COV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) laboratories for timely detection of new variants. Active participation of both public and private health facilities in the preparedness and response drill conducted by the Union Health Ministry was also stressed.
States were further urged to promote community awareness to garner continued support in managing COVID-19.