COVID Spread: Centre Advises States To Set Up Makeshift Hospitals & Form Special Teams

Bhubaneswar: A day after telling the states to increase rapid antigen test (RAT) among symptomatic people in view of an upsurge in COVID positive cases in the last two days, the Health Minister has asked to take urgent steps to upgrade health infrastructure.

In a letter to states and Union Territories (UTs), Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised to set up makeshift hospitals and constitute special teams to monitor the patients in home isolation. He also directed to operationalise the control rooms at district and sub-district levels and revisit the COVID dedicated health infrastructure.

“In the context of the spread of Variant of Concern (VoC) i.e., Omicron, the world is currently reporting the highest ever surge in COVID-19 cases. In India, the case trajectory is also showcasing an upward trend with 16 764 cases reported on 31st December, the highest ever single-day rise in the past 70 days”, the letter said.

As part of preparedness, the Health secretary advised to set up field and makeshift hospitals to augment the infrastructure. “This can be done in 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”, the advisory letter said.

It may be noted that the Health secretary on Friday had advised the states that the people having fever with/without cough, headache, sore throat, breathlessness, bodyache, recent loss of taste or smell, fatigue and diarrhea should be considered as suspect case of COVID-19 and should go for rapid antigen test.

Also Read: Omicron Spread: Centre Tells States To Go For Rapid Antigen Test Of Persons With These Complaints