Take strict measures in districts with more than 10% COVID positivity rate: Centre to states

Strict restrictions need to be implemented in districts where the COVID positivity rate is more than 10 percent, the Union Health Ministry told states on Saturday. The ministry said that effective measures need to be in place to prevent crowding and intermingling of people in these districts.

The Centre's statement comes as 10 states are witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases or a rise in positivity rate and concerns over a possible third wave of COVID-19. Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, and Manipur are the 10 states showing a rising trend of COVID-19 cases.

A total of 46 districts are recording more than 10 percent positivity rate, while 53 districts are recording a positivity rate between 5 to 10 percent.

A high positivity rate, which means the percentage of samples that are positive of a disease out of total tested samples, means that the infection has spread to a greater degree among the people.

"Any laxity at this stage will result in deterioration of the situation in these districts," Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said yesterday.

He said that over 80 percent of active COVID cases in the 10 states have been reported to be in home isolation, and added, "There is a need to effectively and strictly monitor these cases so that they are not intermingling and circulating in their neighborhoods, community, village, mohalla, ward etc., and spreading the infection."

"The people in home isolation should be effectively monitored in such a manner to ensure that those who require hospitalisation are seamlessly transferred for timely clinical treatment,"  the health ministry said in a statement.

The Centre directed the states to focus on strict containment measures and ramp up vaccination in the 60+ and 45-60 categories as evidence shows near 80 percent of the mortality is from this vulnerable age-group."

The Centre also asked private hospitals to set up PSA (Pressure swing adsorption) oxygen generation plants to prevent the situation during the second COVID wave, when India faced a shortage of medical oxygen