COVID cases rising globally, Centre asks states to be on alert

The COVID scare is gripping the world all over again. Since Japan, South Korea, Brazil, China, and the US have reported a fresh spurt in COVID-19 cases of late, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will review the pandemic situation in the country on Wednesday, said official sources.

On Tuesday, the Health Ministry urged all states and Union territories to ramp up the genome sequencing of positive samples to keep track of newer variants.

In a letter to all states and Union Territories, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said doing so will facilitate timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country and aid timely application of public health measures.

Bhushan highlighted that India, with its focus on the five-fold strategy of test-track-treat-vaccination and adherence to Covid-appropriate behaviour, has been able to restrict the transmission of the coronavirus and is currently recording around 1,200 cases per week.

The public health challenge of COVID-19 persists around the world, with around 35 lakh cases being reported weekly, Bhushan said.

“In view of the sudden spurt of cases being witnessed in Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of Korea, Brazil, and China, it is essential to gear up the whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants through Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network,” he said

“In this context, all states are requested to ensure that, as far as possible, samples of all positive cases, on a daily basis, are sent to the designated INSACOG Genome Laboratories that are mapped to states and UTs,” he added.

Mandaviya will review the COVID-19 situation at 11.30 am on Wednesday, officials said.