Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting with top government officials on Thursday to review the coronavirus situation and urged people to wear masks in crowded places and follow Covid appropriate behaviour. PM Modi also asked states to increase Covid testing and focus on genome sequencing of all positive cases.
"Covid-19 not over yet. Need for strengthened surveillance with focus on genome sequencing and increased testing. Strengthen ongoing surveillance measures at international airports," PM Narendra Modi told officials at the review meeting.
PM Modi also said eligible persons should be encouraged to take 'precaution' or booster dose, especially those vulnerable and elderly groups. He also called for regular monitoring of availability and prices of essential medicines.
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PM Modi stressed the need to ensure that the entire Covid infrastructure in the country was maintained at a high-level of preparedness in terms of equipment and human resources.
"The Prime Minister advised states to audit Covid-19 specific facilities to ensure operational readiness of hospital Infrastructure, including oxygen cylinders, PSA plants, ventilators," a PMO statement said.
A comprehensive presentation was made at the meeting regarding the global Covid-19 situation, including the countries seeing spike in cases, by the health secretary and the member (health) at the NITI Aayog.
With Christmas and New Year festivities around the corner, state governments have been asked to step up efforts to curb any possible Covid spread as India brought back random testing at airports for international passengers.
India has started two per cent random sampling of international travellers coming to the country and may consider making it mandatory for all if necessary, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told Parliament on Thursday.
The move came amid growing concerns over the spread of Covid in China following the recent easing of strict lockdown measures. Hospitals and medical facilities in China have been overwhelmed with patients.
One epidemiologist has projected that 60 per cent of the country's population could end up being infected over the course of the next few months.
India has been witnessing a steady decline in cases, with average daily infections falling to 158 in the week ending December 19. On Thursday, India recorded 185 fresh Covid cases and one death. The number of active cases came down to 3,402.
Four cases of the Omicron subvariant BF.7, the strain behind China's current surge of Covid cases, have been detected in India -- two in Gujarat and two in Odisha. In Gujarat, both the patients, who had foreign travel history, have recovered, PTI reported.
The new Omicron subvariant BF.7 is known to spread very fast and has a shorter incubation period.
PM Modi's meeting comes a day after Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the situation. In the meeting, Mandaviya asserted the need for continued surveillance. "Covid is not over yet. I have directed all concerned to be alert and strengthen surveillance. We are prepared to manage any situation," the minister said.
The government has instructed states to ensure genome sequencing of all positive cases in the country. States have been asked to send Covid samples of all positive patients to labs runs by INSACOG, a forum under the Health Ministry that studies and monitors various strains of coronavirus.