Amid Omicron scare, Centre asks poll-bound states to boost vaccinations

Written by

Pratyush Deep Kotoky

Twitter

Published on Dec 23, 2021, 08:50 pm

In view of the threat posed by the Omicron variant, the Centre on Thursday asked the governments of poll-bound states to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations to protect vulnerable populations. The Centre asked states to lay emphasis on districts with low vaccination coverage as it felt pockets with low coverage and low COVID-19 exposure are more vulnerable to Omicron. Here are more details.

The latest advisory comes in the backdrop of rising Omicron cases in the country. Many states, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Goa, are gearing up for the Assembly election early next year. As political parties have started their campaigning, rallies have also started witnessing large gatherings. The Centre is worried that these can potentially turn the COVID-19 hotspots.

"Observe all precautions; don't let your guard down," the Centre told states and union territories. The Centre also urged states to remain vigilant and monitor case positivity, doubling rates, and clusters of new cases across districts. It also laid down a five-fold strategy to tackle the spread of Omicron cases. These involve containment, testing and surveillance, clinical management, COVID-19 safe behavior, and vaccinations.

The Centre asked states to consider local curbs and restrictions ahead of the upcoming festive week. On containment, it advised states to impose night curfews & ensure strict regulation of large gatherings. It also asked states to notify containment zones, buffer zones if new clusters of COVID-19 cases emerge. Further, it asked states to send all cluster samples to INSACOG labs for genome sequencing.

The Centre asked the states to ensure 100% vaccination coverage of those who are yet to receive their first dose while accelerating the inoculation of the second dose. "Strengthen door-to-door vaccination campaign especially in states/UTs where vaccination coverage is below the national average," it said.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan reiterated the Centre's "threshold limits"—test positivity of 10% or more in the last one week or 40% occupancy on oxygen supported or ICU beds—to initiate containment measures. However, based on the local situation and population characteristics...states and UTs can undertake containment measures and impose restrictions even before these thresholds are reached," he added.

On testing and surveillance, the Centre asked states to keep a close watch on the number of Delta and Omicron cases in all districts. It also recommended "door-to-door case search in containment areas." It asked states to ensure the right proportion of RT-PCR tests in total tests are conducted daily. Further, it suggested contact tracing of all COVID-19-infected persons.

For clinical management, the Centre advised states to increase the bed capacity and ambulance availability "for seamless shifting of patients." It further asked states to maintain a buffer stock of essential medicines of at least 30 days. This should be done by utilizing the Centre's Emergency COVID Response Package-II funds. Notably, the existing National Clinical Management Protocol remains unchanged for Omicron.