Central team lauds states' containment strategy, asks to intensify surveillance

The central-team led by Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Lav Agarwal, who visited Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Telangana to take cognizance of the healthcare facilities asked the state administrations to increase surveillance, testing, and treatment facility in the areas which witnessed a spike in cases.

New Delhi:Lauding the Covid-19 containment strategy of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Telangana, a two-member central team, who visited the states to take cognizance of the healthcare facilities, suggested to reimpose lockdown in high-risk areas, if needed.

The central team lead by Lav Agarwal, a joint secretary in the Health Ministry asked the state administration to intensify surveillance and testing for Covid-19.

"As these four localities have been witnessing a surge in the number of cases, the central team after visiting these areas suggested further steps to the district administration," an official said.

Health experts from the state government also accompanied the central team in their visit to Maharashtra.

The team, according to the officials, has suggested for increasing surveillance, testing, and treatment facility in the areas which witnessed a spike in cases.

Along with holding a meeting with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Ahmedabad, the team visited micro-containment zones, a few private hospitals, COVID-19 designated hospitals, and a central control room in the city.

On Monday, the central team visited the Gachibowli Covid-19 facility in Telangana and inspected the ICU beds, along with all other medical emergencies. The team also visited COVID-19 designated hospitals besides some other containment centres. This was the third team visiting Hyderabad amid a spike in COVID cases in the last few days.

Officials said that Agarwal is likely to submit his report to the Health Secretary Preeti Sudan on Tuesday.

It may be mentioned here that since May, the Union Health Ministry has been sending central teams to several states to take stock of the prevailing Covid-19 situation. The first team was sent to 10 states with high Covid-19 cases.

The states were Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

Meanwhile, India's Covid-19 recovery rate on Monday stands at 58.67 per cent. Health Ministry statistics said that the camp between recovery and active cases stands at 111602. Till date, as many as 321722 patients have been cured in the country with 12010 people cured in the last 24 hours.

India as on Monday has 210120 active Covid-19 cases. As many as 8398362 samples have been tested is on Monday through 1047 diagnostic labs.

In a related development, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said that the state government will soon start convalescent plasma therapy for the treatment of Covid-19 patients in all its medical colleges.

Haryana has touched 14,000 Covid-19 cases with nearly 10,000 of the total cases are from three worst-affected districts including Gurgaon, Faridabad, and Sonipat.