Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka Witness Surge in COVID Cases

Despite the unprecedented rise in Influenza cases caused by the H3N2 subtype, the relative quiet from COVID-19 has us thinking that we had at least one less virus to worry about. But a recent notice from the Central Government indicates that now is not the time to be complacent.

On Thursday, the Centre asked six states, namely Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, to follow a risk assessment-based approach to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19 infections.

"There are a few states which are reporting higher numbers of cases indicating the possible localised spread of infection," Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has said in a letter to these states.

The aforementioned states have been directed to take stock of the COVID-19 situation at a micro-level, focus on implementing the necessary measures for prompt and effective disease management, and duly ensure effective compliance with various advisories issued by the Ministry of Health.

This new notice comes in light of the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases after India saw a significant dip over the last few months.

In the past few weeks, certain parts of the country have noted a surge in cases, with a total of 2,082 cases being reported in the week ending March 8 and the figure rising to 3,264 cases in the week ending March 15.

According to Rajesh Bhushan, the states have seen the following rise in COVID-19 numbers from the week ending March 8 to the week ending March 15:

"There is a need to follow a risk assessment-based approach to prevent and contain the infection without losing the gains made so far in the fight against the pandemic," Bhushan explained.

He has stressed the need to monitor new and emerging clusters of new COVID-19 cases, influenza-like illness (ILI), and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases in all health facilities or through dedicated fever clinics regularly for detecting early warning signals of the spread of infection.

Bhusan also talked about genomic sequencing and prescribed samples of international passengers, collection of samples from sentinel sites and local clusters of cases, proactive promotion to increase administration of precaution doses for all eligible beneficiaries and following COVID-appropriate behaviour, particularly in enclosed spaces and in crowded areas.

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