Centre to States: Don’t let Covid guard down

PANAJI
Amid a sudden surge of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia and parts of Europe, the Central government has advocated that States exercise caution and start monitoring closely again cases of influenza-like illnesses as also severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) to be abreast of early warning signs.

During the first two waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, testing of influenza patients as also SARI cases was one of the cornerstones of strategies of governments to tackle the pandemic.

However, with India reporting a decline in cases, the protocol was withdrawn and testing of the influenza and SARI cases was dropped. It could soon be restarted.

Union Health Secretary, Rajesh Bhushan, has dispatched letters to Chief Secretaries of all States including Goa advising caution in view of the surge of cases in Southeast Asia.

Bhushan has also asked all States and Union Territories to also ensure that an adequate number of samples are submitted to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), for genome sequencing for surveillance against new variants of the Coronavirus.

China, where the first cases of Covid-19 were detected in November-December of 2019, is again at the epicentre of the recent surge in Southeast Asia. 

Reports suggest a mutation of the highly transmissible Omicron variant referred to as ‘Stealth Omicron’ is said to be driving the latest wave of infections in China, South Korea and Singapore.

Meanwhile, four new Covid-19 cases were reported on Friday and 13 patients recovered fully bringing down the active caseload of the State to 64.

Figures showing a global increase in Covid-19 cases may foreshadow a much larger problem, as some countries report a drop in testing rates, the WHO warned recently, urging nations to remain vigilant against the virus.

After more than a month of decline, Covid-19 cases began to rise around the world last week, according to the WHO, with lockdowns in Asia and China’s Jilin province battling an outbreak.