As new Covid variants appear, Centre steps up surveillance

New Delhi: In a Covid review meeting held on Tuesday, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya stressed the need to undertake adequate testing - with a higher proportion of RT-PCR - effective Covid-19 surveillance to assess and control the spread of infection promptly. He also urged officials to closely monitor hospitalisations due to Covid-19, the health ministry said in a statement.

With festival season around the corner, there has been an increase in crowding in public places, especially the markets and malls. Few people are seen wearing a mask or maintaining distance though because the common perception is that the worst of the pandemic is behind us.

In the review meeting that was attended by top officials, including health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) director general Rajiv Bahl and NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul, Mandaviya said there was a need for community awareness for continued implementation of the Covid appropriate behaviour (CAB). He also exhorted them to increase the pace of vaccination, including precautionary doses to the eligible beneficiaries.

Lav Agarwal, additional secretary in the health ministry, made a detailed presentation on the global scenario of surge in Covid-19 cases, primarily in Europe and an analysis of the omicron variants in the world.

The presentation included a detailed analysis of the Covid-19 situation in the country with the trend of Covid-19 cases; daily cases being reported, active cases, case positivity and testing status along with state-wise weekly tests per million including share of RT-PCR in tests conducted, the health ministry said.