Can’t Slacken In Efforts To Check COVID Cases, Odisha Health Dept To Collectors

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is witnessing a consistent decrease in daily COVID-19 cases but there should not be any laxity in management and precautionary measures should be followed to keep cases under check, the Health department said on Thursday.

In a letter to the Collectors, ACS Health, PK Mohapatra listed the precautionary measures to be followed and stated that it is important to ensure that there is no slackening in COVID management.

The measures to be followed are as follows:

• Directives for COVID-19 management issued from time to time by government may strictly be followed at all times.

• Planning for availability of sufficient Health infrastructures (isolation beds, oxygen supported & ICU beds, ventilators, ambulances etc.) Including logistics and supplies as per the case trajectory analysis. Since a specified lead time is associated in undertaking any health infrastructure creation, it is important to undertake adequate advance planning on infrastructure, logistics and medicine availability.

• Creation/redesigning of appropriate COVID dedicated healthcare infrastructure in peri-urban, rural and tribal areas as per the detailed SOP issued by Government.

• While the infrastructure is being upgraded, a parallel exercise of ensuring adequate human resource & their orientation on Clinical Management protocol issued by Government may also be undertaken.

• To undertake required preparatory steps for managing COVID paediatrics cases across all districts as per the detailed guidelines issued by Government.

• Effective containment activities in areas reporting high cases on a continued basis.

• Ensure sufficient level of testing (both RT-PCR and RAT) in districts. As the situation is dynamic, a close watch needs to be kept on early signs of a surge in active cases or high positivity rates. Effective mechanism must be operationalised at district and sub-district levels to ensure that whenever cases and positivity show a surge, local containment measures are initiated promptly, as per the guidelines issued by Government from time to time.

• Monitoring of COVID-19 vaccination on a regular basis and ensure that all priority age groups are covered as per norms with continued focus on administration of second dose.

• Sustainable COVID-19 management through effective community engagement and enforcement of Covid Appropriate Behaviour by Involving the community representatives and local influencers.