Tamil Nadu Airports Asked To Step Up Surveillance Amid XE Covid Variant Scare: Health Minister

Subramanian also said that the government has been conducting Whole Genomic Sequencing (WGS) analysis of those individuals who had tested positive for Covid.

Tamil Nadu Airports Asked To Step Up Surveillance Amid XE Covid Variant Scare: Health Minister (File Image)

New Delhi: In the wake of an increase in Covid-19 cases in some districts of Tamil Nadu, the state health minister said on Thursday that the government has advised the airport authorities to step up surveillance at international airports.

According to a report by news agency PTI, health minister Ma Subramanian said that the health department has asked the officials in districts to take up contact tracing even if one infection is detected in a region.

"There is no detection of the new variant (XE) in Tamil Nadu. Though it was reported in Maharashtra on Wednesday about the detection of new variant, today the Union government has denied it. It is a happy news. But we have advised the airport authorities to intensify the surveillance at international airports," the minister said.

Subramanian also said that the government has been conducting Whole Genomic Sequencing (WGS) analysis of those individuals who had tested positive for Covid.

Notably, Tamil Nadu has four international airports -- Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai and Coimbatore.

The minister said that at the airports, fever screening camps are conducted regularly and the health department officials continue to do random sampling of two per cent passengers who arrive from various countries.

On the surge in fresh cases in Tamil Nadu, Subramanian said that they were below 50 in the last 10 days and below 100 in the last one month.

"There is an increase in cases in districts like Chennai, Chengalpet, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram. The district administration and the health officials have been advised to take up contact tracing if one individual tests positive. Since this one case can grow to 100 and later 1,000 cases in the district," he added.

According to the state health department, the southern state has recorded a marginal rise in new Covid infections with 30 people contracting the virus, taking the overall caseload to 34,52,985.