Centre asks states/UTs to follow 'Test, track and Treat' to curb spread of Covid-19

The Government of India initiated a series of actions to contain the coronavirus infection in the states/UTs that have been reporting a consistent surge in the number of Covid-19 cases. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Saturday suggested these states to return to the fundamentals of "Test, track and Treat." Today (March 8, 2021), Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Vinod K Paul, member of NITI Aayog, held an interactive session with the Health Secretaries and Managing Directors of the National Health Mission of the states including Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Union Territories of Chandigarh and Delhi. 

Health Ministry asks states/UTs to follow "Test, track and Treat"

The official statement issued by the health ministry read, "These states/UTs have been asked to continue with the effective strategy of 'Test Track and Treat' that had yielded rich dividends at the height of the pandemic. These states/UTs have in the recent past seen increased positivity and increased number of daily positive cases." However, on March 4, the ministry had said that the trajectory of the recovered case in India is gradually increasing. It stated, "India’s cumulative recovered cases are following a steadily rising trajectory. The graph below shows the cumulative number of active cases, recoveries and deaths reported in India, till 4th March (7:00 AM)." 

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On March 8, the Central government deputed high-level multi-disciplinary public health teams to Maharashtra and Punjab observing the consistent surge in the Covid-19 cases reported by the two states. The Ministry in its official statement said, "The teams visit the States immediately and will visit the hotspot areas in the States and ascertain reasons for the surge. They will also brief the Chief Secretary/Secretary (H) on their observations and remedial measures to be undertaken by the State Health authorities."

The Ministry asks states to specifically follow:

• Continue with the effective strategy of ‘Test Track & Treat’ that had yielded rich dividends at the height of the pandemic.
• Improve overall testing in districts reporting reduction in testing
• Increase share of RT-PCR tests in districts dependent on high levels of antigen testing.
• Refocus on surveillance and stringent containment of those areas in selected districts which are seeing cluster of cases.
• Carry out an average close contact tracing of minimum of 20 persons per positive case.
• Focus on clinical management in districts reporting higher deaths.
• Actuate their health infrastructure to provide effective clinical management to all the patients as a surge in cases also affects the case fatality rate in those districts.
• Accelerate vaccination for priority population groups in districts reporting higher cases.
• Make optimal use of the available vaccine doses and focus on critical districts.
• To collaborate with the private hospitals to open up vaccination time-table for a minimum of 15 days and maximum of 28 days at a time.
• Promote COVID-appropriate behaviour through communication and enforcement.

(with inputs from ANI) 

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