Mandaviya reviews Covid situation in view of rising cases worldwide

Amid challenge posed by the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in some countries including China, Japan, South Korea, France and United States, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation in India and preparedness of public health system for surveillance, containment and management of Covid-19.He urged people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated against Covid-19.Emphasising that Covid-19 is not over yet, he asked the officials to be fully geared up and strengthen surveillance. India has in the past six months reported four cases of the BF.7 Omicron sub-variant, which is driving the current surge of infections in China.Various states have also stepped up vigil. During the meeting, the Union Health Minister was briefed on the global Covid-19 situation and the domestic scenario. He noted the importance of being prepared and remaining alert against new and emerging strains of Covid-19, especially in view of the upcoming festive season.Mandaviya directed the officials to be fully geared up and strengthen the surveillance system for whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants through the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network to ensure timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country.