Amid Covid surge, Union Health Secty proposes 5-fold strategy for J&K

Srinagar: In view of the rising coronavirus cases, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Saturday, while chairing a high-level review meeting with 12 states and UTs’ additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries, proposed a 5-fold strategy for J&K and eleven other states and UTs.

The 12 states that participated in the meeting are: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Punjab and Bihar.

Through a detailed presentation, the states were informed that the country has seen the sharpest rise in weekly COVID cases and fatalities since May 2020 (7.7 per cent and 5.1 per cent, respectively). Granular analysis of affected districts in these states and UTs along with some key statistics was presented.

The focus of the meeting was on 46 districts, including Srinagar in J&K, that have contributed 71 per cent of the cases and 69 per cent of deaths in March 2021.

A five-fold strategy was also laid out for adoption by the States and UTs for effective containment and management of the COVID pandemic.

This five-fold strategy includes:

• 1. An exponential increase in testing
• 2. Effective isolation and contact tracing
• 3. Re-invigoration of public and private healthcare resources
• 4. Ensuring of COVID-appropriate behaviour
• 5. A targeted approach to vaccination in districts reporting large numbers.

States, including J&K, were asked to focus on universalisation of vaccination in the specified priority age groups as an aid to containment strategy in areas where maximum cases are being reported.

It was also reiterated that there is no shortage of vaccines. States must optimally utilise all vaccination capacities within the public and private sectors in all districts without keeping a buffer stock in anticipation of a shortage.

States were also asked to plan logistics and infrastructure management in 1-1.5 months advance as any unchecked spread of community infection may overwhelm the local administration.

With inputs from news agencies