Union Health Secretary Urges States/UTs to Enhance COVID-19 Vigilance Amidst Surge and New Variant Detection

In response to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in certain States/Union Territories (UTs) in India and the detection of the first case of the new JN.1 variant of COVID-19 in the country, Sudhansh Pant, Union Health Secretary, has issued a letter to States/UTs emphasizing the imperative of maintaining a constant state of vigilance over the COVID situation in the country.

Sudhansh Pant acknowledged the success of consistent and collaborative actions between the Centre and State Governments, which has helped sustain a trajectory at sustainable low rates. However, recognizing the continued circulation of the COVID-19 virus and its evolving epidemiology behavior with Indian weather conditions, as well as the circulation of other usual pathogens, he stressed the importance of keeping momentum to effectively deal with the challenges in public health.

The Union Health Secretary outlined critical COVID control and management strategies as follows:

1. In consideration of the upcoming festive season, States were advised to implement requisite public health measures and other arrangements to minimize the risk of increased transmission. Adherence to respiratory hygiene practices was highlighted as a crucial preventive measure.
2. States were urged to ensure effective compliance with the detailed operational guidelines for the revised surveillance strategy for COVID-19, shared by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
3. It has been also urged to screen the incoming international travellers for COVID-19, which is an important part of surveillance to detect
4. To detect entry of the virus and its variants into the country from other parts of the world, Screening of incoming international travelers for COVID-19 has to be done.
5. States were directed to monitor and report District-wise Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in all health facilities regularly. This data should be submitted to the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal to detect early rising trends in cases.
6. States have been advised to ensure adequate testing in all districts according to COVID-19 testing guidelines. The recommended share of RT-PCR and Antigen tests should be maintained. Increased RT-PCR testing and sending positive samples for genome sequencing to Indian SARS COV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) laboratories were encouraged to enable timely detection of new variants, if any.
7. States were encouraged to actively involve both public and private health facilities in drills conducted by the Union Health Ministry to assess their preparedness and response capacities. Additionally, active community participation and awareness campaigns were recommended to seek continued support in managing COVID-19, emphasizing adherence to respiratory hygiene.
8. Reporting requirements:

• Daily: Daily report from Districts and States on number of new cases, Discharges/recovered deaths and hospitalized covid cases. Hospitalized cases to be categorized as those cases requiring oxygen, ICU and Ventilator supported
• Weekly: Weekly epidemiological report of COVID-19 cases and deaths

• • Trend of ILI/SARI cases at the district and state level
  • Weekly report on samples sent for whole genome sequencing from the State level
  • Weekly report from laboratories on sample positivity rate
  • INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) WGS report

The Union Health Secretary expressed confidence that these measures, when diligently implemented, will contribute to the ongoing efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate the impact of new variants.