Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting on Omicron where he appealed to the people to be ‘satark’ (alert) and ‘saavdhan’ (careful) in view of the new variant and stressed on contact tracing, vaccination and ramping up testing. PM Modi directed officials to maintain strict vigil and alertness at all levels and to work closely with the states.
The review meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, was attended by Cabinet Secretary, NITI Aayog’s Dr VK Paul, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava and other senior officials.
“He (PM Modi) directed the Centre to work in close coordination with the States to support their efforts of public health measures of containment and management under the ‘Whole of Government’ approach. The strategy of the Centre for the proactive, focussed, collaborative and cooperative fight against the pandemic should guide all our future actions, the PM directed the officials,” a government statement said.
PM Modi while stressing on being alert and cautious, reiterated the need for adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour. He directed the officials to ensure that the health systems in the states, beginning from the district level, are strengthened to meet any challenge posed by Omicron.
He stressed the need for health systems at the district level capable of meeting any challenge posed by Omicron. He said that it is important to ensure oxygen supply equipment are installed and functional; and directed officials to review the preparedness of Covid facilities in states, quarantine facilities and health infrastructure.
The Prime Minister also directed officials to send more positive samples for genome sequencing, accelerate testing for timely containment, treatment and effective contact tracing. PM directed officials that the central government should send teams to states with low vaccination, rising cases, insufficient health infrastructure to assist them to improve the situation, the statement added.
The number of cases of fast-spreading Omicron variant has risen over 200 in India, with Maharashtra and Delhi reporting the highest number of infections. Delhi government has banned all gatherings to celebrate Christmas and New Year, in view of the new variant. Madhya Pradesh has also brought back the night curfew in the state from 11 pm to 5 am as a precautionary measure.
The Centre earlier today advised states slated to hold assembly polls in the next few months to ramp up Covid vaccination exponentially to protect the vulnerable population. It also added that local-level containment measures should be put in place in areas where either the test positivity goes beyond 10 percent or occupancy of oxygenated beds is over 40 percent.
Earlier, the central government informed that the Omicron variant is at least thrice more transmissible than Delta and asked states to ‘activate’ war rooms, keep analyzing even small trends and surges and keep taking strict and prompt containment action at district and local levels.
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