Set up makeshift hospitals, teams to monitor patients in home isolation: Govt to states

New Delhi: To tackle a possible surge in COVID-19 cases, the Centre advised all states and Union Territories to initiate the process of setting up makeshift hospitals and to constitute special teams to monitor patients in home isolation.

In a letter to all Chief Secretaries, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said it is imperative to re-emphasise the significance of timely and swift upgradation of health infrastructure in all states and UTs.

"This becomes all the more important since with the sudden increase in cases, we may start seeing a stressed health infrastructure," he said.

Meanwhile, registration for vaccination of children against Covid in the 15-18 age group began in Delhi on Saturday, as centres here have geared up to start inoculating the younger population from January 3.

According to official documents shared by sources, the cohort size for vaccination in this category is 10 lakh as per the Registrar General of India's figures.

Union Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya took to Twitter to request people to register eligible children in their families.

"On the occasion of New Year, registration is being started on CoWIN portal for immunisation of children against COVID-19 in the age group of 15 to 18 years from today. I request the family members to register the eligible children for vaccination," he tweeted using the hashtag 'SabkoVaccineMuftVaccine'.

The vaccine option for those in the 15-18 age group would only be Covaxin, according to the "Guidelines for Covid-19 vaccination of children between 15-18 years and precaution dose to HCWs, FLWs and 60+ population with comorbidities" issued by the Union Health ministry.

To address potential surge in cases with a view to ensure preparedness, the Centre has asked states to initiate creation of field or makeshift hospitals to augment availability of health infrastructure.

"This can be done with coordination with DRDO and CSIR as well as the private sector, corporations, NGOs, etc. This will aid the process of rapid creation of field hospitals or temporary hospital set-ups," Bhushan said.

The Centre also said that states may also consider leveraging hotel rooms and other accommodations linked with the Covid-dedicated hospitals in the government and private sector to cater to patients having mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19, as was also done in some states during the earlier surge in cases.

"A large number of positive cases may be eligible for home isolation. These cases would require effective follow-up and a clearly defined mechanism for prompt shifting to a health facility in case of deterioration in their health situation," Bhushan said.

He said it is particularly important that all states should monitor their home isolation protocol and its actual implementation at the field level.

"Special teams be constituted to monitor all home isolation cases, call centres/control rooms must aid outbound calling for monitoring such patients and ensuring that all such cases can be shifted to an appropriate health facility through dedicated ambulances," he added.

"A mechanism wherein citizens can call and get ambulance and a bed in a transparent manner needs to be operationalised. The call centres, district or state-level dashboards/portals can play an important role in organising the same," he said.

Bhushan said states are also requested to ensure that the existing Covid dedicated health infrastructure is revisited and necessary action to ensure its operational readiness be taken.

"A clear focus on rural areas and pediatric cases must also be maintained. States need to regularly review the availability of required logistics, oxygen availability and buffer stock of drugs across all health facilities in the state," he said.

To contain the spread of infection, the implementation of containment activities at the field level is essential, he said.

"Need for effective contact tracing coupled with quarantine of contacts, including facility quarantine for high risk and comorbid contacts, shall be taken up. Sufficient number of quarantine facilities shall accordingly be planned across the state," Bhushan said.

India saw a single-day rise of 22,775 new COVID-19 cases, highest since October 6, while the number of active cases surpassed one lakh and Omicron infection tally reached 1,431, the Union Health ministry said on Saturday.

India logged 161 fresh Omicron infections, taking the total tally of such cases in the country to 1,431.

Cinema halls and sports complexes will be closed in Gurgaon and four other cities in Haryana as part of restrictions imposed on Saturday by the state government in view of a surge in Covid cases and the emergence of Omicron variant.

These restrictions will come into force in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ambala, Panchkula and Sonipat districts, which have the highest daily infection rates, from January 2 and remain in force till January 12, according to a government order.

In just four days, Delhi saw the daily cases of Covid jump from 500 to above 2,700 with the tally reaching 2,716 fresh cases Saturday. Friday, the city had recorded 1,796 cases. This is the highest number of single-day cases recorded since May 21 when the city had clocked 3,009 cases amid the devastating second wave of the pandemic.

India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 145.40 crore with more than 22 lakh vaccine doses administered on Saturday, the Health ministry said.

The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night on Saturday, the ministry added.

More than 10 ministers and at least 20 MLAs in Maharashtra have tested Covid positive so far, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Saturday.

Among state ministers, Varsha Gaikwad, Yashomati Thakur, and KC Padvi also tested positive recently. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Sagar Meghe are among the MLAs who also contracted this viral infection in the recent past.

Earlier, Cabinet ministers Jitendra Awhad, Dhananjay Munde and Dilip Walse Patil had also tested positive. Recently, NCP Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule had even tested positive.