Enhance COVID-19 testing, ramp up vaccination: Centre tells THESE 8 states amid third wave threat

These eight states include Delhi, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Jharkhand.

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New Delhi: As COVID-19 cases are again on the rise in India, the Centre on Thursday (December 30) recommended eight states and union territories to take several measures to curb the spread. 

In a letter to health secretaries of Haryana, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised these states/UTs registering high coronavirus and Omicron cases to enhance COVID-19 testing, strengthen hospital-level preparedness, increase pace and coverage of vaccination, ANI reported. 

These states/UTs have been instructed to enhance the testing in a focused manner with maintaining the ratio between RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Test (RAT). Proactive contact tracing and isolation and quarantine of the contacts of positive cases, their testing and follow-up should be followed by these states, the ministry said. 

They have also been asked to ramp up vaccination against COVID-19 and enforce coronavirus protocols. 

Meanwhile, India witnessed a massive spike in daily COVID-19 cases with 13,154 new infections in the last 24 hours, as per the Ministry of Health on Thursday. The Omicron caseload surged to 961, out of which 320 have recovered. 22 states have detected the cases of the new COVID-19 variant so far. 

With 268 fatalities in the last 24 hours, the death toll climbed to 4,80,860. 

(With agency inputs)