New Delhi: Expressing serious concern over slow rate of Covid19 testing in nine States across India, the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday asked these States to undertake adequate testing with higher proportion of RT PCR test.
Amid reports of the Covid 19 spike in a few States, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan chaired a high-level meeting with State representatives to review the Covid19 situation in Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. These States are either reporting a surge in new daily Covid cases or a rise in positivity.
"All districts reporting higher positivity rate need to undertake adequate testing with a higher proportion of RT PCR tests. Any laxity will result in deterioration of the situation in these districts," Bhushan said.
It was pointed out that average tests per million population is below the national average in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh whereas the share of RT PCR tests is very low in the States of Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. The tests are below the national average in the States of Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and West Bengal.
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These States were asked to urgently address the declining trend of RT PCR tests and improve their average daily tests per million. It was also noted that there remains substantial scope in increasing the pace of vaccination in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Assam, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
States were also exhorted to ensure strict surveillance in all the districts of concern that are showing a positivity rate of over 10 percent in the last week. "There is a need to effectively and strictly monitor home isolation cases so that they are not intermingling and circulating in their neighbourhood, community, village, mohalla, ward etc and spreading the infection," Bhushan said during the meeting.
States were also advised to undertake test indicated proportion of international arrivals, with genome sequencing of all positives besides identifying sentinel sites for INSACOG network to send samples for whole genome sequencing. The meeting was attended by Dr Vinod Paul, member (Health), Niti Aayog, Dr Randeep Guleria, director-AIIMS, principal secretary (Health), mission director (NHM) and State surveillance officers from the States.
