More testing, vaccination key to curtail Covid spread

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in a review meeting with the Health Ministers of Southern States and Union Territories on Friday stressed upon e-Sanjeevani, teleconsultation, monitoring, home isolation and increasing RT-PCR tests in States which are reporting lower percentage testing.

The Union Health Minister conducted a high-level meeting on Friday through video conferencing in the context of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 with the Health Ministers of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Island. The meeting was also attended by senior health officials.

Earlier, he conducted a high-level meeting with nine Northern States and UTs and advised them to send COVID testing and vaccination data timely.

The Union Health Minister also said that testing should be ramped up in the States where it has gone down. He also advised the States and UTs to ensure that those in home isolation are efficiently monitored in line with the National Guidelines.

He said, "This will ensure that the vulnerable categories of active cases in home isolation get the required medical help in a timely manner."

The Union Health Minister re-emphasised the need for ramping up testing in the States and UTs. Those States/UTs that are showing a lower share of RTPCR testing were requested to ramp up tests through RTPCR. States and UTs were also reminded to keep a close watch on the emerging clusters and hotspots and monitor the trend of hospitalised cases along with the deaths in the state.