Center's new advisory on Corona continues, cases increasing in these 5 states including Kerala, Maharashtra, keep these things in mind

The number of corona patients in the country has started increasing again. Along with the state, the central government is also on alert regarding this. Amidst the increase in the number of corona patients, today the Central Government has issued a new advisory. In which many important instructions have been given. Dr. Rajeev Behl, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research and Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary have jointly issued an advisory advising to keep an eye on the causes of the disease. The advisory states that the States/UTs should keep a close watch on the causes of the development of Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases.

India typically sees a seasonal increase in influenza cases from January to March and again from August to October. Currently, the most dominant subtypes of influenza in the country appear to be influenza A (H1N1) and influenza A (H3N2). The advisory said, since February 2023, the country is witnessing a steady increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

The advisory further states that most of the active cases in the country are largely reported by a few states such as Kerala (26.4 percent), Maharashtra (21.7 percent), Gujarat (13.9 percent), Karnataka (8.6 percent) and Tamil Nadu (6.3 percent). are going While the hospitalization and death rates due to the disease remain low.

Due to the significant coverage achieved by largely all States/UTs regarding COVID-19 vaccination rates, this gradual increase in cases necessitates the resumption of public health operations to arrest the spurt. States have been instructed in the advisory that COVID and influenza share many similarities in terms of modes of transmission, high-risk populations, clinical signs and symptoms.

While this may present a clinical dilemma for the attending doctors in terms of diagnosis, it is easily preventable by following simple public health measures such as avoiding overcrowded and poorly ventilated places, and crowded and confined spaces. I wear a mask.

The Center has also advised taking stock of hospital preparedness including medicines, beds, ICU beds, medical equipment, medical oxygen, existing guidelines, and capacity building of human resources on vaccination coverage.

The advisory has also flagged the low level of testing by the states and union territories and stated that the testing levels are inadequate compared to the standards prescribed by WHO i.e. 140 tests per million. Testing also varies at the district and block levels, with some states relying heavily on less sensitive rapid antigen tests. Therefore, it is important to maintain testing for COVID-19 that is evenly distributed across states.