Dr Vardhan reviews preparedness for nCoV, situation being closely monitored

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Union Health & Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan held a high level review meeting with senior officers of the Health Ministry, ICMR, and NCDC, here on January 25, 2020, to analyse the current situation, preparedness and steps being taken for prevention and management of Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) in India.

“The situation is being closely monitored at the highest level for adequate preparedness. All the officials of my Ministry, concerned departments and States/UTs have been put on high alert for Novel Coronavirus. We are taking all required possible precautions to manage all possible scenarios,” Dr Vardhan stated.

The Union Health Minister is personally reviewing and monitoring the preparedness on a daily basis. He is also in regular contact with Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO SEARO, for technical support and guidance in the matter. He spoke to Chief Minister of Uttarakhand on January 25 and assured all support for screening on the border with Nepal, where a confirmed nCoV case has been reported. He is also writing to the Chief Ministers of States requesting for their personal intervention to review the State preparedness for control and management of nCoV, according to a PIB release.

Dr Vardhan has directed for multi-disciplinary central teams to be formed and sent to the seven states where thermal screening is being done at the seven designated airports (New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Kochi). The central team shall consist of a public health expert, a clinician, and a microbiologist. The teams shall reach the respective states on January 26. They shall review the end-to-end preparedness for management and control of nCoV in the states including at the airports, for thermal screening and transferring of patients to hospitals for isolation, and shall also visit the tertiary hospitals attached to the airports for reviewing the isolation wards and availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and masks etc.

On the directions of Dr Vardhan, a 24×7 NCDC Call Centre (+91-11-23978046) has been made operational. It will monitor the list of contacts furnished by MEA; provide details of district and state surveillance officers to those who seek them; and in case of any clinical query, direct the concerned to the relevant Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) officer. The Union Health Minister has urged the passengers who have a travel history to China since January 1, 2020, to come forward for self-reporting to the nearest health facility if they experience any symptoms such as fever, cough, respiratory distress etc., and also inform the doctors treating them.

Dr Vardhan stated that no nCoV case has been detected in the country so far. However, 11 persons have been put under observation; out of samples taken from these 11 individuals, samples of four passengers have been confirmed to be negative for nCoV by the ICMR-NIV Pune lab.

Dr  Vardhan said that cose monitoring is being undertaken for all the passengers arriving from China and Hong Kong across 7 International Airports in India. All the passengers are undergoing thermal screening. He added that National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune,is fully geared up to test samples of nCoV. Ten other laboratories under Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’s Viral Research and Diagnostics Laboratories (VRDL) network are also equipped to test such samples, if a need arises.