New Delhi: In view of the threat of Covid-19, the central as well as state governments have started taking precautions. The Indian government is also cautious after the increase in corona cases in countries including China, Japan, and US.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a high-level meeting on the Covid situation on Wednesday, during which he issued several guidelines regarding the prevention of Corona.
Four cases of BF.7 Omicron variant, a sub-variant of Omicron, which wreaks havoc in China, have also been reported in India. These cases have been reported from Gujarat and Odisha. Two of these patients have recovered.
In July-October-November 2022, two patients infected with the BF-7 and BF-12 variants of Omicron were reported, the Gujarat health department said.
These patients were treated in home isolation and have fully recovered. In view of the increasing threat of Corona, many states including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bengal, UP, Bihar have increased vigilance.
The Karnataka government will start screening international passengers at the Bengaluru airport.
Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Wednesday that in view of the global situation, we have to take some precautionary measures. We will start screening passengers.
As per the Union Health Ministry guidelines, the state government has taken measures to send samples for genome sequencing to keep an eye on emerging variants of coronavirus.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state government will set up a task force or a committee to study the situation. Raising the issue in the state assembly, Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar said whether it is China or Japan, Korea or Brazil, there are reports of a new variant of COVID-19 emerging.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has directed the health department to increase genome sequencing, a Delhi government official said. The Union Health Minister has also held a meeting on Wednesday to review the corona situation.
After this meeting, Niti Aayog Health Member Dr VK Paul said that if people are in a crowded place, indoors or outside, they are advised to use masks. This is even more important for people with comorbidities or older.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Union Health Ministry had sent a letter to all state and Union Territory governments, directing them to prepare for any possible surge in covid-19 outbreak in the future and send samples of all positive cases for genome sequencing to track variants of the virus through the INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) network.