Centre asks 9 states to follow Test-Track-Treat strategy

In view of the increasing cases of daily Covid cases, the Union Health Secretary Shri Rajesh Bhushan and Dr. Vinod K. Paul, Member of NITI Aayog held a meeting today with the MDs (NHM) and Health Secretaries of 8 states to review the ongoing Public health measures of surveillance, containment and management of high active caseload reported in these states/UTs.

According to a report from PIB it was pointed out that 9 districts in Delhi, 15 in Haryana, 10 in Andhra Pradesh, 10 in Odisha, 9 in Himachal Pradesh, 7 in Uttarakhand, 2 in Goa, 1 in Chandigarh continue to be of concern as these districts are seeing a decrease in total tests being conducted, low share of RT-PCR tests, increase in weekly positivity and low number of contact tracing of the COVID positive cases.

States were specifically asked to:

• 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.