Punjab Government on Tuesday announced to conduct the third Sentinel sero surveillance survey, especially focused on the children in the age group of six to 17, ahead of a possible third COVID-19 wave. The survey will start this month for which the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh announced Rs 331 crore in addition to the money already allotted for Emergency COVID Response.
Sero surveys or sero prevalence studies are based on analysis of antibodies collected through blood samples.
With this, Punjab will become the only State in the country to get a children-dominated sero survey conducted to assess the prevalence of the infection among under-18.
At the same time, the Chief Minister also ordered the establishment of a paediatric unit in each district and one Centre of Excellence in Paediatrics for the State.
“The outcome of the sentinel sero-surveillance survey, aimed to assess the prevalence of the infection among under-18, will be utilised to determine further localized restrictions as the State prepares for the third wave,” said the Chief Minister adding that the GIS-based surveillance and prevention tools will be used with an auto trigger mechanism for localized restrictions.
Dr KK Talwar, head of Punjab’s expert committee on COVID-19, said that in the first and second waves, 10 percent of those infected were under 18 and while there is no concrete data to support such a projection, the State is preparing to handle more cases of children in the third wave.
Announcing Rs 331 crore, the Chief Minister said that the Government will establish liquid medical oxygen storage tanks in every district to ensure round the clock availability of the life-saving gas.
Medical gas pipeline systems will also be set up at each district and sub-division level, he said while also announcing the establishment of 17 additional RT-PCR labs.
ICU beds in government hospitals shall also be increased to 142, and a hub and spoke model for telemedicine and tele-consultation will also be established, said Capt Amarinder.
Expressing satisfaction over the strategy for the preparation of the third wave, the Chief Minister pointed out that testing has been maintained around 40,000-45,000 a day, with special focus on high density areas and vulnerable population. Contact tracing has also been maintained at 18 per positive patient.
“I am happy to note that data cells have been activated in each district. The newly recruited Community Medicine Specialists posted in each district must be immediately given charge of these Data Cells,” he ordered.
Dr Talwar further informed the meeting that Punjab is currently in a comfortable situation though the fear of a third wave continued, with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) predicting it by end of August or start of September.
The situation may not be as bad as in the second wave unless a new variant comes before that, he noted. However, he stressed the need for extreme caution with crowds building up even as cases were on the rise in some states.
The Chief Minister also asked the Health Department to expedite recruitment for all posts for which the Cabinet approval has already been taken. He noted that advertisement for 481 specialists had already been issued by the Health Department for walk-in interviews on July 31. The Medical Education and Research Department has also begun the process of filling up its vacancies in the coming month, he added.
Meanwhile, scaling up the state’s preparedness for a third wave of the pandemic, the Chief Minister virtually inaugurated a 100-bed makeshift COVID hospital at Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda district.
Thanking the HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) team for supporting the State Government in the development of the hospital to tackle future waves of the pandemic, Capt Amarinder described it as yet another example of Punjabis rising to every challenge, including during war time. Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan said that a similar facility would be available in Mohali soon.
PUNJAB DEMANDS 40L VACCINE DOSES ‘URGENTLY’ TO INOCULATE ITS ELIGIBLE POPULATION
Citing a current demand of more than two lakh COVID vaccine doses for the second dose alone, the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder on Tuesday demanded 40 lakh more doses from the Centre on urgent basis to inoculate the state’s eligible population.
The state was expecting 2.46 lakhs vaccines to arrive on Tuesday but the Chief Minister, during a COVID review virtual meeting, noted that vaccine remains in short supply, having run out of Covishield vaccine and left with a mere 3500 Covaxin doses as of Monday.
Punjab has already vaccinated more than 90 lakh eligible persons (nearly 37 percent of eligible population) and has been utilising the stock without any wastage, said the Chief Minister. While the first dose has been administered to 75 lakh people, 15 lakh had got the second dose too.
The Centre needs to arrange for immediate delivery to the State to meet the shortfall and enable inoculation of all those needing the second dose, while continuing with the vaccination of other eligible persons, said the Chief Minister. Pointing out that the doses being supplied to private hospitals were getting wasted as people preferred to go to government hospitals for free inoculation, the state Health Secretary Hussan Lal informed the meeting that the State has sought diversion of the stocks from the private hospitals but had not received any response so far from the Centre.
DISABILITY SCHEMES BENEFITS EXTENDED TO MUCORMYCOSIS DISABILITIES
The Chief Minister announced extension of benefits of existing schemes for persons with disability to those suffering from any disability caused by Mucormycosis, popularly known as black fungus.
The announcement was made by the Chief Minister while reviewing the state’s COVID situation through a virtual conference. The benefits will be extended as per the nature and degree of the disability, he said.
The Chief Minister directed the Medical Education Department to also establish Post COVID Care centres in Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals for free follow-up of the cured cases of Mucormycosis.
Though Mucormycosis cases had declined, with only three to four cases reported per day last week, he directed the concerned departments to monitor the situation and keep close tabs on patients recovering from COVID.
The state Health Secretary Hussan Lal, in a brief presentation, informed the meeting that follow-up with Tab Posaconazole has to continue for three to six months after therapy with Inj Amphotericin.