NEW DELHI: Amid rising
Covid-19 cases
, the health ministry on Tuesday deployed high-level multi-disciplinary central teams in 15 states and Union Territories with more than 50 districts or municipal bodies witnessing a high case load and a spurt of cases to provide technical support for containment and to facilitate management of the outbreak.
These states and UTs are — Maharashtra (seven districts/ municipalities), Telangana (four), Tamil Nadu (seven), Rajasthan (five),
Assam (six), Haryana (four), Gujarat (three),
Karnataka (four), Uttarakhand (three), Madhya Pradesh (five),
West Bengal
(three), Delhi (three), Bihar (four), UP (four), and Odisha (five).
Covid-19: Live updatesEach of these teams comprise three-members — two public health experts, epidemiologists, clinicians and a senior joint secretary level nodal officer for administrative handholding and improving governance. “These teams are working in the field and visiting healthcare facilities to support the state health department in implementation of containment measures and efficient treatment and clinical management of cases within the districts and cities,” the ministry said in a statement.
Health minister Harsh Vardhan
also chaired the 16th meeting of the group of ministers on management of
Covid-19
on Tuesday and stressed on the need to maintain physical distancing, follow hand hygiene and wear masks.
More on Covid-19The ministry said these teams will address challenges faced by the state authorities such as testing bottlenecks, low tests per million population, high confirmation rates, risk of capacity shortfall over the next two months, potential bed shortage, growing cases fatality rate, high doubling rate and a sudden spike in active cases.
“In order to ensure better coordination, quick action on the ground, adoption of a more granular strategy, it is proposed that these districts/ municipalities should regularly remain in touch with Central teams which are already coordinating with the States,” the ministry said.
Many districts and municipalities had already formalised a dedicated core team at the district level comprising of district level medical and administrative officials to coordinate over regular basis with the central teams.