Caution comes after surge in infections in China after strict ‘zero covid’ restrictions ended
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India is stepping up surveillance for new COVID-19 variants after a “sudden surge” in cases in many countries, China and the United States.
The country’s federal ministry of fitness has suggested state governments “speed up” the genome sequencing procedure, a laboratory procedure used for Covid variants, to allow for “rapid detection. “
“Given the sudden accumulation of cases observed in Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of Korea, Brazil and China, it is necessary to prepare whole-genome sequencing of positive case samples,” Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote. Letter to the states on Tuesday.
The letter suggested all states ensure samples from all daily tests are sent for lab testing.
“Such training will allow the detection of new variants, if any,” the letter adds.
Federal Health Minister Mansukh Mandavya also met with senior government officials on Wednesday to discuss the issue, and they all wore masks, a practice that has not been mandatory in most parts of the country for several months.
The warning comes after a surge in infections reported in China after its strict zero-covid restrictions ended following protests. Experts have sounded the alarm about an unprecedented surge in new infections that they fear have possibly spread to several countries.
Concerns are also raised about the alleged lack of reporting in China, as the country has stopped requiring PCR tests and many others are testing at home.
On Wednesday, China reported no new covid deaths and actually subtracted one death from its total number, bringing the total to 5241, according to a daily count released by the National Health Commission, which did not record the decline.
Vaccination rates also remain low in some countries, with only around 50% of the country’s population having obtained a third vaccine.
Data from the World Health Organization that infections have risen in countries such as Japan, South Korea and the United States in recent days.
Several new variants of the virus have been much more transmissible than the original virus.
India has suffered one of the worst waves of Covid, with 44 million cases of the disease to date and the highest number of deaths in the world after the United States. However, the number of cases has remained largely low in recent months.
There are also requests for flights to and from China. However, Reuters reported, citing government sources, that there were no such quick plans.
India reports around 1200 new infections consistent with the week. Globally, about 3. 5 million instances are recorded each week.
Additional reporting through agencies
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Stock Image: India currently records around 1200 new infections in a week
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