Chennai: Tamilnadu Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan has urged District Collectors to follow up appropriate protocols and measures in view of Omicron variant of Covid-19.
In his letter, he said, ‘Since Delta variant is still prevalent and the new variant of concern Omicron is also being reported from over 70 countries and many States including one returnee from Nigeria detected with S gene drop-target failure- and six contacts of this case again with a S gene drop, which are markers of probable Omicron and hence suspect cases (This has to be confirmed by whole genomic sequencing to be declared as Omicron for which samples have already been sent), this is the time to ensure that the following challenges are addressed and public health guidances enforced and monitored, apart from sticking to and following up the appropriate protocols and measures communicated from time to time.’
He said, ‘Mask and social adherence is extremely low in public places and places of crowding both outdoors and indoors- it should be enforced through coordination with all regulatory departments and also NGO stakeholders actively working in the field.’
Radhakrishnan added: ‘Increasing the pace of vaccinations of the unvaccinated and those due for second dose. Review the inventory of health facilities including beds, oxygen beds, ICUs, ventilators, medicines , Human Resources and update the data with the control room. We should not routinely report the numbers being sent every day of the availability and occupancy, as at present, due to very low occupancy, many wards would be temporarily unoccupied and would need cleaning up and updation of available bed numbers.’
Radhakrishnan further said while the peak availability in May and June 2021 has already been revised dynamically to what is operational still we can recheck the numbers and reconcile them. Incidentally, already all districts have completed the updation.
Stating that ‘we need to put up additional IEC flex boards, covering the details of higher transmissibility of the covid variant, as the mask adherence is extremely poor among visitors event in the hospital premises among many other public places,’ he added: ‘While this is a variant of concern and not a variant to create panic but considering the pace of spread among the countries and the messages from the WHO advising us to follow all the preventive measures fully especially Covid appropriate behaviour and vaccinations and not in isolation.’