No positive cases yet, health minister reviews coronavirus readiness

Dr Harsh Vardhan also spoke to the Uttarakhand CM and assured him of all support for screening at the border with Nepal, where a confirmed nCoV case has been reported. Vardhan will also request all CMs to review state preparedness for control and management of nCoV.

“The situation is being closely monitored at the highest level for adequate preparedness. All the officials of my ministry, concerned departments and States/UTs have been put on high alert for novel coronavirus. We are taking all required possible precautions to manage all possible scenarios,” Vardhan said.

Dr P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, chaired a high-level meeting, and officials informed him of recent developments, preparedness and response measures. The Principal Secretary also reviewed preventive measures taken by other ministries, including civil aviation.

The Health Minister has directed for multidisciplinary central teams to be formed and sent to states where thermal screening is being done at the seven designated airports of New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi.

Each central team shall consist of a public health expert, clinician and microbiologist and these teams shall reach the respective states today. They shall review end-to-end preparedness for management and control of nCoV, including at the airports, for thermal screening and transferring of patients to hospitals for isolation. They will also visit tertiary hospitals attached to the airports for reviewing the isolation wards and availability of personal protective equipment.

The teams will also check whether infection control, surveillance and other guidelines are being followed. The teams shall coordinate with the state health secretaries to explore all avenues for further strengthening preparedness.

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