With COVID-19 Cases Rising In US And China, Health Minister To Review Situation On Wednesday

They stated that the minister will examine the COVID-19 situation "considering the international scenario" at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

A healthcare worker collects a swab sample of a woman for Covid-19 test.

Source : File Photo/PTI

New Delhi: In light of a new spike in cases in Japan, South Korea, Brazil, China, and the United States, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will examine the COVID-19 situation on Wednesday, official sources said, reported news agency PTI. They stated that the minister will examine the COVID-19 situation "considering the international scenario" at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The meeting will be attended by a number of senior officials, including Ayush, the department of health, the department of pharmaceuticals, and the department of biotechnology. Rajiv Bahl, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Member (Health) of NITI Aayog V K Paul, and N L Arora, chairman of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) will also take part.

In the meantime, on Tuesday, the Health Ministry urged all states and Union Territories to accelerate the whole-genome sequencing of positive samples in order to track down more recent variants.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan stated in a letter to states and UTs that such an exercise will facilitate the implementation of necessary public health measures and enable the timely detection of any newer variants circulating in the country.

He emphasised that India's five-step test-track-treat-vaccination strategy and adherence to Covid-appropriate behavior have prevented the coronavirus from spreading, resulting in approximately 1,200 cases per week.

According to Bhushan, the COVID-19 public health issue persists worldwide, with approximately 35 lakh cases reported weekly.

"In view of the sudden spurt of cases being witnessed in Japan, United States of America, 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.

(With PTI Inputs)