The Centre has assigned high-level multi-disciplinary teams to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to assist them in public health initiatives, warning against any laxity in the implementation of strict measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, especially with regard to new mutant strains of the virus.
The Ministry said in a release issued on Wednesday that three-member multi-disciplinary teams led by Health Ministry Joint Secretary level officers have been dispatched to these States/UT.
“These teams will work closely with the administration of the States/UT to find explanations for the recent rise in the number of cases of COVID-19. They will also coordinate with the state/UT health authorities on the necessary COVID-19 control measures to break the transmission chain. In order to ensure that gains made so far in the management of COVID-19 are not lost, the States/UT has been advised to periodically critically review the evolving situation with district officials concerned,” the Ministry added.
10 states witnessing surge in cases
The Centre also wrote to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir Union Territories, which were seeing an increase in daily cases. Separately, the Union Health Secretary asked the Chief Secretaries of these 10 States and UT to give these high-level teams time to debrief the respective Chief Secretaries at the end of their state visits.
“The Ministry of Health has periodically communicated with States and UTs that have either undergone a sudden surge in COVID cases. To get a first-hand understanding of the issues and problems faced by them, the teams communicate with the field authorities,” the Ministry said.
In the meantime, 13,742 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in the country in the last 24 hours and 14,037 recoveries have also been registered during this period. It has contributed to a net decrease in the overall active caseload of 399 cases.
86.15% of the new cases are from six States, according to data from the Ministry, and Maharashtra continues to report the highest daily new cases with 6,218, followed by Kerala with 4,034, while 442 new cases were registered by Tamil Nadu.
In the last 24 hours, India has also recorded 104 deaths, with five states accounting for 81.73 per cent of them. The highest casualties in Maharashtra were 51, while Kerala reported 14 deaths and Punjab reported 10.
