COVID surge: 50 central teams sent to Punjab, Maharashtra,

New Delhi, April 5

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The central government rushed 50 high-level multi-disciplinary public health teams to 50 districts across Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Punjab on Monday in view of the recent very large numbers of daily new COVID-19 cases and daily mortality being consistently reported by these states.

The teams were sent to 30 districts of Maharashtra, 11 districts of Chhattisgarh and nine districts of Punjab to assist the states in COVID-19 surveillance, control and containment measures.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in a recent review of COVID status said teams be sent to these three states showing highest cases and deaths over 14 days.

The two-member high level team consists of a clinician epidemiologist and a public health expert.

The teams will visit the States immediately and monitor the overall implementation of COVID-19 management, especially in testing, including surveillance and containment operations; COVID Appropriate Behavior and its enforcement; availability of hospital beds, sufficient logistics including ambulances, ventilators, medical oxygen, etc., and the progress of a vaccination drive against the virus.

Three senior officers from Government of India have been appointed as nodal officers for the three states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Punjab.

Additional Secretary Textiles Vijoy Kumar Singh is the nodal officer for Punjab.

The high-level teams will report to and coordinate with the nodal officers for the three states. They will submit daily reports on five aspects including testing; contact tracing including surveillance and containment; hospital infrastructure including ICU, ventilator and oxygen beds; enforcement of COVID appropriate behavior; and COVID vaccination.