As concerns over the Covid-19 Omicron variant continue to rise, Centre on Wednesday gave a 10-point action plan to states and Union Territories, asking them to follow "mission mode" keeping in view of multiple cases reported from states in the past week.
In a letter, also marked to DG ICMR, NITI and NCDC, besides top officials of states and UTs, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has asked for a prompt sampling of positive cases from international travellers and their contacts to INSACOG labs for genome sequencing. Also, Omicron cases are to be treated at designated Covid facilities "with separate isolation areas marked for Omicron positive cases" to prevent cross-infections.
"It has to be ensured that adequate precautions are taken by healthcare workers in these facilities to prevent transmission among other patients and healthcare workers," the letter underlined.
States have also been asked to detect with enhanced surveillance the emergence of new clusters of Covid-positive cases, incidents of vaccination breakthroughs and re-infection, and ensure their prompt investigation through Rapid Response Teams.
Asking states to maintain adequate testing, particularly in districts with more than 5 per cent positivity, the Central government said that in the absence of a sufficient number of tests, it will be difficult to determine the true level of infection spread.
"All international travellers who have arrived in the community need also to be monitored by the district surveillance team and their testing on the 8th day needs to be ensured if they have come from at-risk countries. The states must follow a focused approach of quickly tracking the primary and secondary contacts of the positive cases and facilitate testing for them," Bhushan said.
The government also directed for close monitoring of the prevalence of ILI/SARI and respiratory distress symptoms in people due to the onset of winter and increased pollution in some states.
In its earlier communication to states on November 25, November 27 and November 29, the health ministry had advised the states to undertake enhanced surveillance of international travellers and constant monitoring of emerging Covid-19 hotspots.