All Covid Strains Circulating In India Are Omicron Subvariants, Average Daily Cases Over 900: Union Health Secretary

The health secretary also said a mock drill will be conducted soon in all states and UTs to assess their preparedness to meet the dual threat of rising influenza & Covid cases over the last few weeks.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said Thursday that all Covid-19 strains currently circulating in India are Omicron subvariants, and that on an average, 966 cases are being reported daily. Bhushan also said a mock drill will be conducted soon in all states and Union Territories to assess their preparedness to meet the dual threat of rising influenza and Covid-19 cases over the last few weeks, news agency ANI reports. 

Bhushan, who was addressing a press conference in Delhi on March 23, said India recorded 1,300 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the highest in the last 140 days. 

A mock drill was conducted on December 27 last year across the country to assess Covid-19 preparedness. 

According to Bhushan, India's Covid-19 cases currently account for just one per cent of global Covid-19 cases. The overall active cases currently stand at 7,600, he said. While the average number of daily cases in February was 108, the value has increased to 966. 

Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are the eight states where the maximum number of Covid-19 cases are being reported.

Bhushan said he personally wrote to these states on March 16 on the steps that need to be taken.

SARS-CoV-2, the causative organism of Covid-19, has been acquiring new mutations through recombination. 

Bhushan said enhanced laboratory surveillance and testing of all severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases must be done, and the administration of precautionary doses should be increased, despite the fact that there has been no evidence yet of an increase in hospitalisation.

Currently, the United States, China, South Korea, Russia and France are driving the global Covid-19 surge, Bhushan said.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has directed states to ensure the availability of sufficient beds and health workers to deal with the surge in Covid-19 cases, and has asked them to ensure the availability of key drugs and logistics at healthcare facilities for the treatment of influenza and Covid-19.