Amid Surge In Covid-19 Cases, Govt Dispatches 50 Public Health Teams To Maharashtra, Punjab And Chhattisgarh

In a bid to combat the recent upsurge in COVID-19 cases and contain further spread of the pandemic, the government has rushed 50 public health teams to Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Chhattisgarh.

The teams have been rushed to 30 districts of Maharashtra, 11 districts of Chhattisgarh and 9 districts of Punjab to assist the State Health Department and local authorities in COVID-19 surveillance, control and containment measures.

Each of the teams sent by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare includes two members- a clinician/epidemiologist and a public health expert, reports Livemint.

The teams will monitor the implementation of management, especially in testing, surveillance and containment operations. They will keep a check on enforcement of COVID-19 appropriate behaviour, and also look to ensure availability of hospital beds, sufficient logistics including ambulances, ventilators, medical oxygen et cetera. They will also monitor the progress of the vaccination drive.

Furthermore, the government has also appointed three of its senior officials as nodal officers for Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Punjab. All the 50 high-level teams will report to and coordinate with the nodal officers.

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 & Containment; Hospital infrastructure including ICU, ventilator and oxygen beds; Enforcement of COVID Appropriate Behavior; and COVID Vaccination, the health ministry said.