J. Radhakrishnan

With the rise in number of cases, Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan has urged District Collectors to ensure COVID-19 appropriate behaviour is followed in the State. 

The State was seeing isolated cases and from less than 25, the numbers now rose to over 30, he pointed out. 

In a circular on Wednesday, he cited the rise in cases in Delhi where it stood at 632 on Tuesday as against a mere 82 cases on April 4. 

Not only had the test positivity rate risen in about 5% from less than 1% there, but neighbouring States such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra had also registered a rise in cases, Dr. Radhakrishnan wrote. 

Internationally 7.45 lakh cases of Omicron were registered in the week ending April 18, he added.

“At a stage when we should aim at virus suppression, it is noticed that isolated cases are still getting reported and we need to keep monitoring the trajectory of cases and also test positivity at district and sub-district levels,” he has written. 

He urged the district officials to refocus on mask-wearing in public places, crowded spaces and hospitals. 

“This directive on COVID-19 appropriate behavior was never withdrawn and is still in place. (By) not following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour, crowding can compound the risk in case people come in contact with isolated positive cases,” he cautioned.

About 40 lakh persons were yet to get their first dose and 1.37 crore, their second dose. Officials have been advised to follow up and ensure those eligible for booster doses took them. Special focus should be on the elderly and co-morbid.

In areas where there were lower levels of vaccinations, a special drive may be conducted, he suggested. 

The administrators have been advised to monitor hospital admissions besides ensuring that medical facilities are maintained and kept in functional readiness. 

He has also called for contact tracing and  RT-PCR testing and following the treatment protocols. 

Though genomic sequencing had revealed that 93% of the samples showed BA2 Omicron sub-variant and no case of XE recombinant sub-variant, it was necessary to routinely send a few samples for genomic sequencing to keep a check on the variants, he said.