COVID review meet: PM stresses on wearing masks, testing as cases spike

-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a high-level meeting to review the COVID and influenza-related situation and public health preparedness as India recorded the highest number of cases since November 2022.

According to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office, both influenza and COVID cases have seen a spike in the last two weeks.

PM Modi directed officials to enhance the Whole Genome Sequencing of Positive Samples with the designated INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories to help track newer variants, the statement added.

Here are the meeting’s key highlights-

  • The PM emphasised COVID-appropriate behaviour including wearing masks on hospital premises. He also stressed that wearing masks is advisable when senior citizens and those with co-morbidities visit crowded areas, the PMO statement added.
  • He directed that effective monitoring of IRI/SARI cases, and testing for Influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and Adenovirus be followed up with states.
  • PM Modi also stressed the need to ensure the availability of required drugs & logistics for Influenza & COVID-19 across health facilities along with the availability of sufficient beds & for health human resources.
  • He also emphasised that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over and there is a need to monitor the status across the country on a regular basis.
  • PM advised authorities to continue focusing on the 5-fold strategy of test-track-treat-vaccination & COVID-appropriate behaviour, enhanced lab surveillance & testing of all Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases.
  • Mock drills should be conducted regularly to ensure that our hospitals are ready for all exigencies, the PMO statement added.

Five coronavirus deaths in last 24 hours

India recorded 1,134 new coronavirus cases, while the active cases increased to 7,026, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The death count climbed to 5,30,813 with five new deaths. One death each was reported by Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, and Maharashtra while one fatality was reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/Ae1Iacg
FP Staff

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Both COVID-19 vaccine doses needed for good protection against B16172 variant

-
It’s been a concerning few weeks in the UK, with the B16172 variant first taking hold and then spreading to become dominant. This more infectious form of the virus, initially identified in India, is what we’re now going to have to live with – unless it is out-competed by another variant in the future. Worryingly, experts had predicted that B16172 might be able to escape some of the effects of vaccines, which if true would threaten to derail the UK’s plans to finish lifting restrictions from the end of June. However, Public Health England (PHE) has looked at the ability of various variants to evade immunity and says that the UK’s vaccines remain effective against the variants circulating, including B16172. On the surface, this looks like good news. But delve a bit deeper, and things get more complicated, says Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. PHE’s research found a little drop-off in protection against B16172 among people who were fully vaccinated.
Read more

New coronavirus variant emerge in India: How should our COVID response change?

-
Image
After genome sequencing of over 10,000 COVID-19 cases in India, researchers have discovered a new variant with two new mutations which may be better at evading the immune system. In 15-20 percent of samples from the Indian state of Maharashtra (the state accounting for 62 percent of cases in the country) a new, double mutation in key areas of the virus has been detected. These are now known as the E484Q and L452R mutations. What makes the variant different? Both these mutations are concerning because they are located in a key portion of the virus – the spike protein – that it uses to penetrate human cells. Spike proteins attach via a “receptor binding domain”, meaning the virus can attach to receptors in our cells. These new mutations include changes to the spike protein that make it a “better fit” for human cells. This means the virus can gain entry more easily and multiply faster. Given what we have seen with other similar mutations , it might also make it harder for our immu
Read more

120 flights delayed, 30 trains running late; Delhi fog & cold wave continue to give shiver to travellers

-
Arrival and departure of 120 flights, both domestic and international, to Delhi airport were affected due to dense fog and cold wave conditions on Wednesday, according to Delhi Airport FIDS (Flight Information Display System). As per the Delhi Airport FIDS, a total of 53 flights, including 21 domestic arrivals, 16 domestic departures, 13 international departures and three international arrivals scheduled are cancelled and not operating due to fog and other operational reasons from and to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the national capital on 17 January. #WATCH | Delhi: Several flight operations delayed at IGI airport due to low visibility amid fog. pic.twitter.com/hG1DUKllEt — ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2024 Visuals from the Delhi airport showed passengers waiting outside, checking update of their scheduled flights. There were also some people waiting for flight of their families, friends and loved ones to arrive, which got delayed due to fog. #WATCH | Delhi | Pas
Read more