CM stresses on `test, trace and treat’ to contain Covid

Asking officials to control the spread of COVID-19 as per the target of `test, trace and treat’, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that adequate availability of Covid beds and medical oxygen should be ensured in all the districts and also directed officials to ensure smooth operation of ambulance services for the COVID-19 patients.
The chief minister was reviewing the status of COVID-19 at a high-level meeting convened through virtual medium on Tuesday.

He said that the medical system should be strengthened by paying special attention to Lucknow, Kanpur Nagar, Varanasi and Prayagraj. He said the number of Covid beds in Level-2 and Level-3 hospitals should be increased in every district and availability of medical oxygen should be maintained in all districts.

The chief minister stressed on regular monitoring of private medical colleges. He said along with medical staff, other medical resources should also be arranged for these hospitals as per the requirement. He said it should be ensured that there was availability of oxygen, ventilator and high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) according to the standards prescribed for the Covid hospitals.

Yogi directed the chief secretary, additional chief secretary (health) and principal secretary (medical education) to regularly review the arrangements of Covid hospitals and the availability of various medical resources.
“Testing has an important role in breaking the chain of coronavirus infection. In view of this, the testing capacity should be increased. It should be ensured that in the next few days at least 1.5 lakh Covid tests are carried out daily through RT-PCR method and for that the testing capacities of King George’s Medical University and Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences should be doubled,” he said, adding that to increase the number of RT-PCR tests, more and more private laboratories should be added.
The chief minister said that to ramp up testing, various central institutes like CDRI, NBRI, IITR, BISIP in Lucknow, IVRI in Bareilly and NICPR in Noida should conduct tests. He said that TruNat machines should also be used for Covid testing.

“To increase the number of RT-PCR tests, laboratories should be set up in 12 districts and training should be imparted to paramedics,” he said.
New labs will be set up in Amethi, Auraiya, Bijnor, Kushinagar, Deoria, Mau, Siddharthnagar, Sonbhadra, Bulandshahr, Sitapur, Mahoba and Kasganj.

The chief minister said that people should be constantly made aware about COVID-19. He said this awareness should be carried out effectively through the public address systems at major crossroads and other public places. “Make the messages being transmitted through the public address systems such that people listen carefully,” he added.