Concerned at the rising Covid cases in China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday warned against complacency back home, saying the pandemic is not over yet even as he directed officials to strengthen the ongoing surveillance measures, especially at international airports.
His assertion came soon after Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told Parliament that the 2 per cent random sampling of all flyers arriving at all international airports has been started to minimise the risk of entry of any new variant into the country. As per guidelines, incoming fliers should be fully vaccinated against Covid in their country while masks and physical distancing needs to be adhered to. Also, any passenger having symptoms of Covid-19 during travel shall be isolated as per standard protocol.
Modi chaired a high-level meeting to assess the Covid-19 situation in the country, preparedness of health infrastructure and logistics, and the status of the vaccination campaign and the emergence of new variants and their public health implications.
The PM urged everyone to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, including wearing masks in crowded public places, at all times, especially in view of the upcoming festive season, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
During the meeting, Modi directed officials to ramp up testing and also genomic sequencing efforts and urged that precaution dose may be encouraged especially for vulnerable and elderly groups. States have been asked to share a larger number of samples with the designated INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories for genome sequencing on a daily basis.
This will support timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country and facilitate undertaking requisite public health measures, it said.
He stressed on the need to ensure that the entire Covid infrastructure at all levels is maintained at a high level of preparedness in terms of equipment, processes and human resources.
The PM also advised States to audit Covid-specific facilities to ensure operational readiness of hospital infrastructure, including oxygen cylinders, PSA plants, ventilators and human resources, the statement said.
Modi was briefed that India has been witnessing a steady decline in cases with average daily cases falling to 153 and weekly positivity down to 0.14 per cent in the week ending December 22. However, 5.9 lakh daily average cases have been reported globally since the last six weeks.
Modi was informed that there is adequate availability with regard to medicines, vaccines and hospital beds. He also advised regularly monitoring of prices and availability of essential medicines. Highlighting the globally appreciated work of frontline healthcare workers, Modi exhorted them to continue working in the same selfless and dedicated manner, according to the statement.
In a statement in both Houses of Parliament, Mandaviya said States have been asked to focus on heightened surveillance within the community, undertake requisite control and containment measures, and ensure coverage of precaution doses for Covid-19 vaccination, amid a spurt of coronavirus cases in some parts of the world.
Mandaviya said two per cent random sampling of international travellers arriving at airports has already started from Thursday to minimise ingress of any new variant in the country. “Our enemy is changing with time and we need to continue our collective fight against it with perseverance and determination,” he said, adding that India has been reporting 153 new cases daily on an average as against 5.87 lakh new cases being reported on a daily basis across the world. “In view of upcoming festivals and new year celebrations, states also need to focus on ensuring effective awareness within the community on adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour which includes use of masks, hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene practices, besides following physical distancing,” he said.
Mandaviya said the States should also ensure that the coverage of precaution doses for Covid vaccination should increase and required awareness for the same is undertaken within the community. The Minister said the Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact health and livelihood of the world till date. “Over the last three years, the continuously evolving nature of the virus has posed a threat to global health in a way that has impacted virtually every country,” he said. “In the last few days, we have seen an increasing trajectory of Covid-19 cases across the world. India on the other hand has shown a continued decreasing trajectory of cases since last one year,” said the Minister.
