‘ICMR probing cases of reinfection'
Indian population is still far from achieving herd immunity against Covid-19, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday citing ICMR's second sero-survey. The minister was addressing his followers on social media when he responded to various questions related to the pandemic and other key issues.
While citing the unreleased second sero-survey conducted by the Indian Council for Medical Research, the minister urged people to continue to adhere to protocols he referred to as ‘social vaccine' in his address to Parliament earlier this month. The use of face masks is most important and they must be worn even in places of worship, Dr Harsh Vardhan added.
The sero-survey report should not create a sense of complacency among the people, he went on to say during the ‘Sunday Samvad' interaction with his followers on social media.
In its first sero-survey released in May 2020, ICMR had revealed that the nationwide prevalence of Covid-19 was merely 0.73 per cent.
Covid-19 re-infection, ‘social vaccines'
Responding to a question about reports of re-infection, the health minister reiterated that ICMR is actively engaged in research in this regard and the Government of India is fully seized of the importance of the same.
In a statement issued later in the day, the Ministry of Health said Dr Harsh Vardhan urged everyone to raise awareness regarding Covid-19 precautions like he does by stopping his car and pulling up pedestrians who are seen without a mask.
“The pandemic can only be fought when the government and society work in tandem,” the minister said during his interaction according to the ministry's statement.
Experimental treatments, Covid-19 impact
Dr Harsh Vardhan also said that regular advisories have been issued to ensure that experimental forms of Covid-19 treatment such as plasma therapy and Remdesivir drug are used rationally. Private hospitals are being advised against routine use of these therapies through webinars and teleconsultation sessions conducted by AIIMS-Delhi, he added.
The Ministry of Health has also set up committees of experts to look into emerging evidence indicating that Covid-19 impacts not only lungs but other organ systems, including renal and cardiovascular functions.
Price of RT-PCR tests
States and UTs have been advised to lower the cost of Covid-19 tests, the health minister mentioned. He also explained that Covid-19 test kits were being imported in the initial days of the pandemic which resulted in high prices.
However, the supplies of testing kits have now stabilized and domestic production is in full swing, Dr Harsh Vardhan suggested.
Many states such as Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka among others have reduced the cost of RT-PCR tests to Rs 1,600 and even Rs 1,200 in some cases.
Communication with private laboratories is also underway to settle on mutually agreeable lower rates and I have personally spoken to health ministers of various states regarding the same, the Union Health Minister was quoted as saying.
Upgrading existing healthcare infrastructure
Dr Harsh Vardhan also spoke about the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) scheme under which an AIIMS is being set up to cater to the North East. Existing medical infrastructure will be upgraded across the country as part of the scheme, he added.
Medical colleges will also be established in existing district and referral hospitals, especially in the North East. These include Churachandrapur in Manipur West Garo Hills district in Meghalaya, Dhubri, Nagaon, North Lakhimpur, Diphu and Kokrajhar districts in Assam, Kohima and Mon in Nagaland and Falkawan district in Mizoram.
As many as 25,185 MBBS seats have been added by the Government of India over the last five years, the minister stated on Sunday.
Dr Harsh Vardhan said the Centre's commitment is to “increase the public healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP from the existing 1.15 per cent to 2.5 per cent by 2025” which will “mean an actual increase of 345 per cent over the current share in this short period of time”.
