The Centre has asked officials to remain alert, conduct aggressive genome sequencing, and intensified surveillance to avoid COVID explosion.

This follows reports of a new virulent COVID wave sweeping China and Europe.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the Covid situation following rise in the cases in China and South East Asia.

Mandaviya asked for a high level of alertness, aggressive genome sequencing and intensified surveillance to keep Covid at bay.

The meeting was attended by top health officials, including the health secretary, pharma secretary, and the principal scientific adviser to the Government of India.

India on Wednesday reported 2,876 new infections, taking the country’s total Covid tally to 42,998,938, while the number of active cases dipped to 32,811, the health ministry said. The death toll stood at 516,072. India today also began administering doses of the Covid vaccine to children aged 12 to 14 years as public and private schools re-opened.

The government aims to swiftly expand vaccine coverage by also dropping a restriction on booster doses for those older than 60 only if they had a co-morbidity condition.

Meanwhile, China has locked down 17.5 million residents of Shenzhen after a new Omicron-driven wave swept the country.

Mortuaries in Hong Kong are overflowing with Covid victims as the country is reeling under a deadly outbreak. Hong Kong has recorded nearly a million infections and more than 4,600 deaths. A funeral industry representative told local media the soaring death toll had seen a crunch in the city’s coffins supply, with only 300 remaining and expected to be gone by the weekend.