Dr Mansukh Mandaviya reviews preparedness and vaccination progress for managing COVID-19

New Delhi: Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare conducted a virtual meeting with state health ministers, principal secretaries, and Information Commissioner, in the presence of Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health, and Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, to review public health preparedness for containment and management of COVID-19, and the progress of the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign in view of the recent upsurge in countries like China, Japan, Brazil and the United States. Chief Ministers and Health Ministers of several states joined the high-level review meeting.

Union Health Minister referred to the message of the Prime Minister from the high-level review meeting held a day before, and advised States to be on the alert and keep all preparedness for COVID-19 management. States were requested to continue with a pre-emptive & proactive approach. He urged States to strengthen the surveillance system for whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants through the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network to ensure the timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country. Dr Mandaviya asserted, “Centre and states need to work in tandem and in a collaborative spirit, as was done during the previous surges for COVID-19 prevention and management.”

He relayed that focus is to be given to health facility-based sentinel surveillance, pan-respiratory virus surveillance, community-based surveillance, and sewage/wastewater surveillance. Dr Mandaviya highlighted the need to collectively reinvigorate the system & remove any sense of complacency and fatigue.

Dr Mandaviya said that irrespective of the new COVID variants, ‘Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate & Adherence to COVID Appropriate Behaviour’ must continue to remain the tested strategy for COVID management. He informed that this would facilitate the undertaking of appropriate public health measures. States and Union Territories were also requested to expeditiously increase the rate of testing from the current rate of 79 tests per million, as it was on the week ending on 22nd December 2022. They were further advised to increase the share of RT-PCR tests.

The Union Health Minister advised States and UTs to ramp up vaccination of all eligible populations, especially of the elderly and vulnerable population groups. He cautioned against spreading misinformation by ensuring the dissemination of factually correct information in a timely manner. In view of the upcoming festive season, he stressed the importance of public awareness campaigns regarding adherence to Covid Appropriate Behaviour. Dr Mandaviya requested the State Health Ministers to personally monitor and review the preparedness of all infrastructure and ensure there is adequate stock of essential medicines.

States and UTs were briefed on the global COVID-19 situation and the domestic scenario. They were reminded that Union Health Ministry has already issued Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in the context of COVID-19 in June 2022, which calls for early detection, isolation, testing and timely management of suspected and confirmed cases to detect and contain outbreaks of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. The Union Health Minister requested States and UTs to ensure effective implementation of the same.

States assured that they will work with the Centre for effective prevention and management of COVID-19, and will hold a mock drill for the readiness of hospital infrastructure on 27th December 2022.