Srinagar: Chief Secretary Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta on Saturday chaired a meeting to oversee the preparation of an action plan for tackling a possible third wave of COVID-19 in the Union Territory based on the recommendations of an expert advisory committee.
The committee is headed by former Director SKIMS, Prof Mohammad Sultan Khuroo.
The Chief Secretary complimented the efforts of the Health and Medical Education department in combating the COVID-19 pandemic by maintaining high-level testing and vaccination rates, and ramping up Covid-dedicated medical facilities, an official spokesman said.
Mehta emphasised the need for strict enforcement of Covid-appropriate behaviour in addition to vigorous vaccination drives for successful containment of the disease.
In comparison to the first wave which was slow, gradual, and mostly affected elderly/comorbid population, the second wave was abrupt, steep, and severely infected the young and middle-aged population, the spokesman said.
He said as such, it was stressed that the trajectory of the disease must be put under meticulous surveillance for early detection of new trends towards a probable third wave.
The Health and Medical Education department was asked to constitute a medical advisory team consisting of field experts in virology, epidemiology, and microbiology to provide multi-dimensional scientific recommendations for evidence-based scientific management of COVID-19.
The Chief Secretary directed the department to conduct stratified serological surveys in Jammu and Kashmir for ascertaining natural/ vaccine-induced seropositivity in the population and identifying susceptible groups, and areas in the Union Territory to be taken up under targeted vaccination drives, the spokesman said.
