The new strain of Coronavirus has become a major cause of concern,” said Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. “Any kind of negligence towards it can land us in a huge crisis. We need to pay special attention to the travellers coming to the state from other countries, including those affected by the virus. COVID tests and intensive screening of the passengers should be done. Due to the new strain, a terrible situation has arisen in England and lockdown has to be imposed again. Taking lessons from this, we need to take extra precautions. Necessary ideas should be sent to the Central Government from the state regarding the important measures soon,” he added.
Gehlot also highlighted that with the best management and cooperation of the people of Rajasthan, the situation is currently under control. The recovery rate has increased to an all-time high of 96.31 per cent. With positive cases being zero in some districts, the situation is getting better. In view of this, he advised to open schools for classes from 9 to 12, university and colleges, coaching centres and government training institutes from January 18. Medical, Dental, Nursing and Paramedical colleges were also directed to open from January 11.
The institutions will have 50 per cent attendance on the first day and the remaining 50 per cent on the second day. Teachers will be given necessary training by the Health Department for prevention of compression. The Chief Minister said that all the health protocols, including masks, should be taken care of in all institutions. They should be governed under the guidelines and SOPs of the Centre.
Medical and Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma said that special vigilance is being done in the state regarding the new strain of Coronavirus. The medical department is sending contact-tracing and screening of passengers from the UK as well as sending them to the ICMR lab in Delhi for a sample test.
Principal Secretary, Home Affairs, Abhay Kumar said that the number of positive cases in the state has reduced. In such a situation, it is possible to conduct intensive monitoring of people coming from other countries including the UK to prevent contraction of new strains. Government Secretary Medical and Health Siddharth Mahajan said that the maximum number of active cases in the state on November 29 was 28,758, which came down to 8,189 on January 4. Similarly, the number of positive cases per day, which reached 3,314 on November 24, came down to 457 on January 4. He also informed about the preparations being done for providing vaccination in the state.
Vice Chancellor of Rajasthan Health Sciences University, Dr Rajababu Panwar said that it is necessary to be vigilant in the state regarding the new strain. He said that in our country, the risk of new strain will be reduced due to good immunity levels of the people.
Principal of SMS Medical College, Dr Sudhir Bhandari said, “The traffic from the affected countries should be kept to a minimum. Also, effective scanning should be done at the entry point of all passengers. He informed that the facility of testing new strains is currently available in eight institutions in the country. In three weeks, the facility of investigation will also be available in Rajasthan.”
Medical expert Dr Ashok Panagadia said, “Due to the continuous effort by the state government, the concentration of Corona in the state has been controlled and the death rate has been very low. He also stressed on giving necessary training to health workers for vaccination. Other specialist doctors of SMS Medical College also expressed their views regarding the new strain, vaccination and health protocol.”