Increase corona testing, strengthen surveillance measures: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level meeting on Thursday in view of increasing cases of corona infection in many countries of the world including China and America and reviewed the latest status of Kovid-19 in the country.
The Prime Minister directed officials to ramp up testing and genomic sequencing efforts. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Modi cautioned the officials against any laxity and advised strict monitoring of the Corona cases. According to the PMO, Modi said that the corona pandemic is not over yet.
He directed the officials to strengthen the ongoing surveillance measures especially at the international airports. The Prime Minister stressed the need to ensure that preparedness, in terms of equipment, processes and human resources at all levels, is of a high standard.
He advised the states to take account of COVID specific facilities related to hospital infrastructure including oxygen cylinders, PSA plants, ventilators and human resources. The PMO said that during the meeting a comprehensive presentation was made about the COVID situation in the country and the global COVID-19 situation.
The Prime Minister was informed that India is witnessing a steady decline in cases for the week ending December 22, 2022 with the average daily cases coming down to 153 and the weekly infection rate coming down to 0.14 per cent. However, for the last six weeks, a daily average of 5.9 lakh cases have been reported globally.
The Prime Minister directed officials to ramp up testing and genomic sequencing efforts, according to the PMO. Accordingly, states have also been asked to share large number of samples with Designated Genome Sequencing Laboratories (LGSLs) for genome sequencing on a daily basis. This will help in timely detection of new strains of infection in the country and help in initiating necessary public health measures.
The Prime Minister urged everyone to follow COVID appropriate behavior at all times, especially in view of the upcoming festive season, which also includes wearing masks in crowded public places. The Prime Minister also urged that booster doses should be encouraged, especially for vulnerable and elderly groups.
In this meeting held through video conference, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia besides Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, NITI Aayog CEO Parameswaran Iyer Including many senior officials of the Ministry of Health and Home Affairs.
In view of increasing cases of Kovid in China, Japan, South Korea, France and America, the Central Government has become active. In this connection, the central government had held a review meeting on Wednesday. Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also made a statement in both the Houses of Parliament just before this meeting, in view of the increasing cases of Kovid-19 in some countries of the world in the past and said that the situation in the country is under control and the global situation But the government is keeping an eye.
He said, ‘In the last three years, Kovid-19 has created a threat to global health, affecting every country. In the recent past, an increase in the cases of Kovid-19 has been recorded in some countries. Mandaviya said that the corona epidemic is not over yet, Kovid is changing its form from time to time, in such a situation everyone should be alert and follow the safety measures while taking the vaccine.
