NEW DELHI : Amid a sudden surge in covid cases globally due to the Omicron BF.7 variant, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed state governments to ensure operational readiness of hospital infrastructure, stressed on precaution dose vaccination for the elderly and vulnerable population, and instructed strengthening of surveillance, genome sequencing and testing.
Modi, on Thursday, virtually chaired a high-level meeting to assess the covid-19 situation in the country, preparedness of health infrastructure and logistics, status of vaccination campaign and the emergence of new covid-19 variants and their public health implications. The meeting comes in the backdrop of a spike in covid-19 cases in China, Japan, Korea and the US among other nations. So far, India has reported three confirmed cases of the Omicron BF.7 variant.
A presentation by a team of experts to Modi showed that average daily cases in India have fallen to 153 and the weekly positivity has dropped to 0.14% in the week ended 22 December. However, 590,000 daily average cases have been reported globally in the last six weeks.
Modi cautioned against complacency and advised strict vigil. He reiterated that the pandemic is not over yet and directed officials to strengthen ongoing surveillance measures, especially at international airports.
He also stressed on the need to ensure that the entire covid infrastructure is maintained at a high level of preparedness in terms of equipment, processes and human resources. He advised States to audit covid specific facilities to ensure operational readiness of hospital infrastructure, including oxygen cylinders, PSA plants, ventilators and human resources.
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