Bengaluru: Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in Karnataka, the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services on Saturday requested people to stay calm, remain vigilant, and work with health authorities to prevent further spread and ensure public safety.

It issued an advisory to Health Care Workers (HCWs) working in Covid and Non-Covid areas of the healthcare facilities in the state.

The health department said the state continues to monitor and manage Covid-19 through on-going efforts to prevent transmission, detect cases, and provide care. Given the dynamic nature of the disease, sustained vigilance and adherence to public health guidelines are crucial.

“The focus will be on early detection, containment of outbreaks, and monitoring of variants through integrated clinical, laboratory, and community surveillance,” it said in a statement.

According to the department, healthcare personnel, as the primary workforce, are at high risk of acquiring Covid-19 if they don’t follow proper personal protection protocols while managing patients. As frontline workers, they play a vital role in protecting communities through early detection and timely response.

Listing out the essential action points for health staff, it directed them to routinely screen and report Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) cases and any such cases with co-morbidities in the P-Form of IDSP-IHIP platform.

The advisory asked the health workers to ensure referral of all SARI cases and 5 per cent of ILI cases for RT-PCR testing for Covid-19 at designated facilities as per the time-to-time testing guidelines issued by MD-NHM. Samples should be shipped on the same day for timely testing.

If found symptomatic, compulsory testing for high-risk groups, including children, pregnant women and elderly people, it stated.

According to the advisory, testing data needs to be uploaded timely on the IHIP portal. Positivity rates and CT value trends need to be tracked.

Facilitate sample from Covid-19 positive SARI cases should be referred to designated regional VRDLs for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) in line with INSACOG protocols. Coordinate with authorities for sewage surveillance where applicable, it stated.

“As all heathcare workers are already trained, they are able to sense the signs and symptoms and hence should ensure immediate reporting of such symptoms,” it further stated.

The advisory also stated that IEC activity should be undertaken to promote community observance of hand and respiratory hygiene, hygienic behaviour such as cough etiquette (covering mouth or nose during cough/ sneezing), no spitting in public places etc.

“Special consideration groups like elderly, people with immuno-deficiency status maybe advised to avoid poorly ventilated or crowded places or use face mask in such places,” it said.

In order to control infection, the department said that a nodal officer (Infection Control Officer) shall be identified by each health facility to address all matters related to healthcare associated infections and should ensure immediate activation of Hospital Infection Control Committee (HICC).

“Follow updated infection prevention protocols. Healthcare workers in different settings of hospitals shall use appropriate PPE as per their risk profile. Any breach in PPE or exposure should immediately bring to the notice of the Nodal Officer,” the advisory added.