New Delhi, May 21 () Birth dose vaccinations at health facilities would continue irrespective of the categorisation of zones amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the government said on Thursday. According to the "Guidance note for immunisation services during and post COVID outbreak" released by the Union Health Ministry, an area exiting a containment or a buffer zone category can start facility-based and outreach immunization activities only after a minimum gap of 14 days. The document said that in alignment with the area categorisation, immunization services will be classified under two heads -- immunization in containment and buffer zone and immunization in areas beyond the buffer and green zone. As a standard practice, immunization services are delivered through the modes of birth dose vaccinations at delivery points in health facilities, health facility-based sessions, and outreach sessions as part of urban/village health sanitation and nutrition days services, it said. The document specified that in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, delivery of immunization services for different zones will follow three key principles irrespective of zone. Guidelines from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Health ministry pertaining to COVID-19 and related updates will be the primary reference points and no state should violate any COVID-19 guidance, it said. Practices of social distancing, hand washing, and respiratory hygiene need to be maintained at all immunization sessions irrespective of zones or district categorisation by all (i.e. beneficiaries and service providers) in all sessions, the guidance document said. Birth dose vaccination at health facilities would continue irrespective of zones, it said. Immunization services in containment and buffer zone would involve no active mobilization to the health facility. Every opportunity is to be utilized for vaccinating beneficiaries if they have already reported at the facilities, the document said. Noting that the list of areas under 'containment zone' and 'buffer zone' in a district is updated on a weekly basis, it said any area exiting a 'containment or buffer zone' can start facility based and outreach immunization activities as in areas 'beyond buffer zone' after a minimum gap of 14 days following de-listing of that area as containment or buffer zone. However, the state and district administration should make a local assessment of COVID-19 risk before starting the outreach or health facility-based immunization with mobilization of beneficiaries, it added. Similarly, an area enlisted as a 'containment or buffer zone' should stop health facility-based sessions and outreach sessions, the government said. All areas beyond the buffer zone and in the green zone follow the same guidelines and birth dose, health facility-based session and outreach session immunization are allowed in them, the document said. One outreach session will be planned for less than 500 population to limit the total beneficiaries to 10 to 15 per session and a staggered approach will be followed for each session to avoid crowding, it said. At any given time during the session, not more than five persons should be present at the site with at least one-meter distance between each, the guidelines said. The organisation of such a session will be at the discretion of district administration with clear planning for social distancing and hand washing at the session site, it said. Birth dose vaccination should be continued at all health facilities with delivery points after ensuring due cold chain, the document said. A health facility should continue immunization services with arrangements such as pre-identification of a well-ventilated seating area with demarcated seating location one meter apart and an adequate number of pre-identified, fixed vaccination staff depending on the injection load and the required documentation. Staff conducting vaccination should wear a three-layered surgical mask and gloves and sanitize their hands after vaccinating every child, the guidelines said. Support staff to manage seating arrangement, queue management etc. for the pregnant women and caregivers, it said. It should be ensured that hand sanitizer or hand washing units with chlorinated water are available for public use at the entrance to the health facility, the document said. Disinfect the seating space after completion of the immunization session should be done, it said, adding that adequate availability of MCP card and due updating of records should be done. Adequate availability of vaccines and logistics for the uninterrupted immunisation session must be maintained, it said while calling for displaying of visual alerts in clinics, such as posters, with information about COVID-19 disease and reminders on individual prevention strategies. ASK TDS TDS

Birth dose vaccinations at health facilities to continue in all zones: Govt

New Delhi, June 3 () Underlining that ENT surgical procedures are associated with very high transmission risk of COVID-19, the Union Health ministry on Wednesday said coronavirus infected patients should be operated in designated operation theatres only in emergency cases. In case of pre-operative COVID positivity, a surgeon should weigh the risk benefit of postponing surgery for 14 days or scheduling procedure in COVID-designated operation theatre, said the 'Guidelines for safe ENT practice in COVID 19' released by the ministry on Wednesday. Stating that ear, nose, throat (ENT) is a high-risk speciality, the ministry said the guidelines are aimed at minimising the spread of COVID-19 infection among ENT doctors, nursing staff, support staff, patients and their attendants. Highlighting that tele-consultation will be preferable, the ministry said all patients entering ENT OPD should be screened and should undergo thermal screening. The objective of screening is to minimize exposure to staff and to patients. Patients having symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 (whether ENT or respiratory symptoms) should be seen in a separate "COVID-19 screening Clinic" and not in the ENT OPD, the guidelines stated. The guidelines said the ENT OPD room should be well-ventilated and doctors should wear Level I PPE kit (N95 mask, gown, gloves, goggles/ face shield) in the chamber. They should avoid performing endoscopy in routine OPD but if at all it has to be performed, it should preferably be performed in a separate demarcated area with Level II PPE kit (cover-all gown, N-95 mask, gloves and goggles). Listing the protocols for ENT and head and neck surgery ward, the ministry said the aim of guidelines is to maintain it as a COVID free ward as possible and suspected patients should be treated in a separate ward for COVID patients while they should be shifted to the ward only after confirmation of their negative status. Patients should be screened for COVID 19 before admission. Suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 patients should be kept separately and all precautions for COVID 19 like wearing of mask, frequent hand washing and social distancing should be strictly followed. "Visitors should not be allowed and distance of at least two meters in between patient beds is mandatory. Additional distance if feasible is desirable as care taker may also be accompanying patients. "Ward should be demarcated into separate areas for patients with high aerosol generating potential (e.g. Tracheostomized patients) and for ENT patients," the document stated. According to the document, major bulk of aerosol-generating patients in ENT are tracheostomized patients. Tracheostomy tube suctioning or change, nasogastric tube insertion and procedures in nasal and oral cavity such as examination, cleaning, suctioning, nasal packing, foreign bodies' removal etc are also common aerosol-generating procedures. Environment surfaces of ENT facilities should be cleaned with water and detergent and by applying commonly used hospital disinfectants such as sodium hypochlorite to keep wards COVID-free, it said. To escalate the preparedness towards reinstating operation theatre (OT) practices for ENT surgeries in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry said, "No COVID positive patient to have surgeries in OT designated for non-COVID case and positive patients to be operated only for emergency indications in designated OT for COVID patients." ENT surgical procedures are associated with very high transmission risk of COVID-19 as the upper aerodigestive tract is the post of entry, nidus and exit route for the novel coronavirus and there is high aerosol generation during surgeries in the upper aerodigestive tract. PLB TDS TDS

You Searched For "new TDS meter" and got 2 results

Birth dose vaccinations at health facilities to continue in all zones: Govt

PTI

Undertake ENT operations for COVID-19 patients only in emergency cases: Health Min

PTI