Covid not over yet, cautions minister Mansukh Mandaviya, calls for strict surveillance of new variants

As Covid-19 cases surge in China, Japan, US, Korea and Brazil, Indian government on Wednesday directed state authorities to be on high alert and to strengthen surveillance.

Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Health Minister, while reviewing the states' preparedness for Covid-19, stressed on the utmost need for surveillance, containment and management, and cautioned that the pandemic is not yet over. The minister advised the states/UTs to send samples of all Covid-19 positive cases to Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) labs to facilitate tracking of new variants.

“The increasing number of Covid-19 cases in some countries across the world such as China, Japan, South Korea, France and US are posing a challenge. It is important to be prepared and remain alert against new and emerging strains of covid-19, especially in view of the upcoming festive season,” said Mandaviya.

The minister directed the states to strengthen the surveillance system for whole genome sequencing of positive case samples, and to proactively track the variants through the INSACOG network, thereby ensuring timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country.

“This would facilitate undertaking of appropriate public health measures. States/UTs have been requested to send samples of all Covid-19 positive cases to INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories (IGSLs) on a daily basis, for sequencing, to track new variants, if any,” said the minister.

India has been witnessing a steady decline in cases, with average daily cases falling to 158 in the week ending December 19. However, a consistent rise in global daily average cases has been reported since last 6 weeks, with 5.9 lakh daily average cases reported for the same week. A new and highly transmissible BF.7 strain of the Omicron variant also has been found to be behind a wider surge of infections in China.

Union Health Ministry had already issued operating guidelines in June 2022, which called for early detection, isolation, testing and timely management of suspected and confirmed cases. The central government has urged the states to implement the guidelines in order to limit the spread of the virus in the country.

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