Amid coronavirus cases spike, Centre directs states to immediately ‘enhance testing’
By Team Newsable | First Published Jan 18, 2022, 6:21 PM IST“All those who are symptomatic must be tested. All at-risk contacts of laboratory confirmed cases must also be tested," said Arti Ahuja, Additional Secretary at the Health Ministry.
With India witnessing a massive spike in coronavirus cases driven by the highly-contagious Omicron variant, the Ministry of Health has asked all states and Union Territories (UTs) to immediately ramp up Covid-19 testing in many states and union territories.
In a letter written to all states and union territories, Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Arti Ahuja asked the concerned authorities to enhance testing so that an effective track of spread of the pandemic can be kept. The official stressed that enhanced testing would also help in taking immediate citizen-centric actions.
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“In order to ensure that an effective track of the spread of the pandemic is kept and also immediate citizen centric action is initiated, it is incumbent upon all states/UTs to enhance testing,” Ahuja said in the letter.
“All those who are symptomatic must be tested. All at-risk contacts of laboratory confirmed cases must also be tested," said Arti Ahuja, Additional Secretary at the Health Ministry.
The official reiterated that testing continues to remain the backbone of the broad framework of pandemic management in the context of Omicron, as stated in earlier letters from the ministry.
“However, it is seen from the data available on the ICMR portal that testing has declined in many states and union territories,” she wrote.
She said identification of new clusters and new hotspots of infection can in turn facilitate immediate action for containment such as setting up of containment zones, contact tracing, quarantining, isolation and follow up. This can enable the state and district administration to curb the spread of infection.
“Ensuring reduction in mortality and morbidity. Progression of disease to a severe category can be averted by strategic testing of those who are at high risk and more vulnerable as well as in areas where the spread is likely to be higher,” the secretary said.
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