Chandigarh, Dec 20 (PTI) Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said RT-PCR tests will be conducted for Influenza-like Illnesses and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections despite there being no COVID-19 cases in the state at present.
Vij was participating in a meeting through videoconferencing on the measures in response to new COVID-19 infections across the country and reports of more than 20 cases of the JN.1 sub-variant being detected in some parts, according to an official statement.
The meeting was chaired by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
Vij “emphasised the necessity for mandatory RT-PCR tests for ILI (Influenza-like Illnesses) and SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infections) cases, proposing that COVID-19 should be declared a notifiable disease”, the statement said.
“This would require private hospitals to inform the chief medical officer and government hospitals of any cases,” he said.
The Haryana health minister highlighted the importance of monitoring and reporting ILI and SARI cases to identify the initial trend of rising infections.
A mock drill has been conducted in Haryana and all necessary preparations have been completed, he informed the meeting.
“Haryana has 238 PSA (oxygen generating) plants in working condition … We have successfully tackled this disease before and are fully prepared (for it),” Vij added. PTI SUN SZM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.