There are no plans to make RT-PCR testing for COVID-19 at airports mandatory for travelers, Union Health Ministry resources said on Thursday, amid emerging coronavirus infections in India.
Although the number of cases is on the rise and the JN. 1 subvariant has been detected in the country, there is no immediate cause for concern, as 92 percent of inflamed people opt for at-home treatment, indicating mild illness. saying.
There is also no increase in hospitalization rates and COVID-19 is an incidental location in other people hospitalized due to other medical conditions.
In the past two weeks, another 22 people have died from COVID-19 in the country.
India on Thursday recorded 594 fresh COVID-19 infections while the number of active cases increased to 2,669 from 2,311 the previous day, according to Union health ministry data.
The death toll was set at 5,33,327 and six more people – three from Kerala, two from Karnataka and one from Punjab – succumbed to the viral disease, according to data updated at 8am.
As of Wednesday, 21 variants of the JN. 1 variant have been detected across the country.
Dr. VK Paul, a member of NITI Aayog (Health), said on Wednesday that India’s clinical network is reading the new variant a lot, highlighting the need for states to step up testing and surveillance systems.
“There are no plans to make RT-PCR testing for COVID-19 mandatory at airports,” a source said.
In July, India had issued revised guidelines, dropping the requirement for RT-PCR based testing of a random 2 per cent of travellers entering India.
In view of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and the detection of the first case of the JN.1 variant in the country, the Centre has urged states and union territories to maintain constant vigil.
In a letter to states and union territories, Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant on Monday explained the severity of COVID-19 and control strategies in light of the upcoming holiday season and pleaded with them to implement the necessary public health measures to minimize the risk of further transmission. . of the disease.
States have been asked to effectively comply with the detailed operating rules for the revised COVID-19 surveillance strategy shared through the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
They called for regular monitoring and reporting of cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) at the district point in all fitness centers to stumble upon the upward trend in cases at the initial stage.
It is not currently known whether the JN.1 infection produces symptoms different from other variants, the ministry had said.
In general, COVID-19 symptoms tend to be similar from one variant to another.
There is also no indication of increased severity from JN.1 At this time, there is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health compared to other currently circulating variants, according to the ministry.
The current line of treatment against COVID-19 is expected to be effective against JN. 1 infection and updated vaccines are expected to build coverage against the variant, the ministry said.
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