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New Delhi: The Union government has called on all states to step up hospital surveillance of respiratory viruses for early detection of symptoms of an outbreak imaginable anywhere in the country, even as Covid-19 cases rise worldwide, other people familiar with the matter said Sunday.
“This is a wake-up call for us if there is a backlog of Covid-19-like hospitalizations or a sudden increase in respiratory illnesses in certain parts of the country, which is why all hospitals want to monitor and identify any patterns. ” said a senior Health Ministry official, who requested anonymity.
At his review meeting with state fitness ministers on public fitness preparedness to control covid-19 and vaccination progress on Friday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandavya said the focus will be on sentinel surveillance in gyms; panrespiratory virus surveillance; and network monitoring.
He further said the concentrate should also be in wastewater and wastewater tracking in states, as humans also shed the virus through their feces.
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“It is also one of the first symptoms of the spread of the disease within the network if the viral load is high in the sewer system,” the official was quoted as saying. the past. “
A national network of sentinel services has been put in place to monitor influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs) for community surveillance.
“We have noticed so far that around 25-30% of ERI/ILI cases test positive for covid if tested for the disease, so it is vital to detect those cases, especially at this time when flu cases are underway. the increase anyway,” the official added.
Preventing clusters through strict surveillance of AIRS and ILI cases has been the government’s strategy as part of its initial efforts to track a rare backlog in cases in a certain wallet and prevent the spread of infection.
Initially, randomized trials were conducted among STEM and ILI patients in each district of the country to assess the prevalence of the disease.
Follow-up of AIRS and ILI cases is one of the key surveillance measures also proposed by epidemiologists for the spread of the disease due to the similarity of symptoms. The government has established some three hundred sentinel sites and a network of about 60 laboratories that carry tests.
“There have been virtually no hospitalizations due to Covid in recent months and even though the numbers are expanding globally, India does not appear to be reporting an increase so far,” said Dr. Rommel Tickoo, director of the Department of Internal Medicine. Max Healthcare. . . “To me, there could be an increase here or there in the future, but (it seems) India won’t see a first wave unless a completely different variant is reported. “
The Minister of Health also suggested to states the surveillance formula for the sequencing of the total genome of samples of positive cases to track variants through the network of the SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium of India (INSACOG) to ensure the immediate detection of new variants, if any, circulating in the field.
“INSACOG has carried out the total genome sequencing of Covid-positive samples even when the RT-PCR verification percentage, which is needed for genome sequencing, had decreased, particularly since most (people) perform Covid verification at home using the immediate control kits,” said a senior INSACOG member. on condition of anonymity.
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Hospitals will be required to submit information to the government on a built-in disease surveillance program to control outbreaks in the country.
Government knowledge released on Sunday showed that the number of active instances in India was 3424 with a positivity rate of 0. 18% and a weekly positivity rate of 0. 14%; 0. 01% active; recovery rate of 98. 8%; and 227 new instances registered in the last 24 hours.
“There’s no need to panic right now; However, the government is tracking heavily on a basis and will act on the evidence presented to it,” a central government official said on condition of anonymity. The Prime Minister of the Union and the Minister of Health Review meetings held recently with all states, union territories and the most sensible experts in the field of drugs and science. People want to be sure that we are fully prepared for any eventuality. “
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