Centre warns state on rising Covid cases

Hyderabad: A sudden spurt in cases in Telangana has prompted concern at the Centre, resulting in the Union health ministry writing to the state’s principal secretary, health, S.A.M. Rizvi, asking for a “strict watch” and to take “preemptive action” to control the “emerging spread of infection” in the state.

Rajesh Bhushan, Union health secretary, pointed out that Telangana had reported an increase in weekly cases from 132 in the week ending March 8 to 267 in the week ending March 15.

Bhushan said that most of the cases were being reported from Hyderabad. Analysis of the daily Covid cases revealed that in the first week of March, Hyderabad reported 29 cases, while it rose to 53 cases in the week ending March 15.

Bhushan, in his letter, advised the state to examine the Covid-19 situation at micro level in the district and mandal levels, and maintain focus on implementation of “necessary measures” for prompt and effective management of the disease and ensure “effective compliance” of various advisories from the Ministry.

These measures include enforcing wearing of masks in closed spaces and other Covid appropriate behaviour, monitoring of influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infections, proactive testing for the disease, and sending all positive samples for genome sequencing, Bhushan told Rizvi in the letter.

The Centre is concerned over rising Covid cases in Telangana, along with in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, saying there are a few states reporting higher number of cases indicating possible localised spread of infection. “There is a need to follow a risk assessment-based approach to prevent and contain the infection, without losing the gains made so far in the fight against the pandemic,” Bhushan said.