Stay vigilant, avoid panic, says health ministry amid China covid surge

Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan directed all states/UTs to ensure that as far as possible samples of all positive cases are sent to the designated INSACOG laboratories on a daily basis.

However, top government scientists at NTAGI, INSACOG and National Institute of Virology said that covid cases are fewer in India and that the country is in a comfortable position due to extensive vaccination and herd immunity in the population.

The experts have urged constant surveillance, and monitoring of hospitalized cases and deaths.

“In view of the sudden spurt of covid cases in China, Japan, the US, South Korea and Brazil, it is essential to gear up within whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants through INSACOG network.

Such an exercise will enable timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country and will facilitate undertaking of requisites public health measures for the same. All the states are requested to ensure that as far as possible samples of all positive cases, on a daily basis are sent to the designated INSACOG laboratories that are mapped to the states and UTS,” Bhushan said in a letter.

“India is in a very comfortable position now due to extensive covid vaccination drive and also the entire population has now been exposed to the virus giving rise to hybrid immunity. Chinese population followed strict lockdown whenever there was a surge, so people did not get exposed to the virus. The only thing important for us is that we should follow constant surveillance and monitoring of hospitalized cases,” said Dr NK Arora, Chief of National Technical Adivsory Group of Immunisation (NTAGI).

India on Tuesday reported 69 cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 44.6 million and deaths to 530,677.

A scientist at the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said, “Everybody in India has built good immunity and T-cell immunity also takes care of human body. We don’t see that the present situation in China can affect India. We are continuing our surveillance. However, there are no samples right now and INSACOG is trying their best to collect the samples from the hospital and all these are Omicron variants which are circulating right now.” As of 19 December, Chinese authorities had reported 10 million cases of covid-19 with 31,309 deaths.

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a review meeting on Wednesday on the covid situation in India.

A senior scientist at the National Institute of Virology (NIV-Pune) said the emergence of Omicron BF7 has made the situation worse in China and it seems that Chinese authorities have not been able to manage it very well.

Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan directed all states/UTs to ensure that as far as possible samples of all positive cases are sent to the designated INSACOG laboratories on a daily basis.

However, top government scientists at NTAGI, INSACOG and National Institute of Virology said that covid cases are fewer in India and that the country is in a comfortable position due to extensive vaccination and herd immunity in the population.

The experts have urged constant surveillance, and monitoring of hospitalized cases and deaths.

“In view of the sudden spurt of covid cases in China, Japan, the US, South Korea and Brazil, it is essential to gear up within whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants through INSACOG network.

Such an exercise will enable timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country and will facilitate undertaking of requisites public health measures for the same. All the states are requested to ensure that as far as possible samples of all positive cases, on a daily basis are sent to the designated INSACOG laboratories that are mapped to the states and UTS,” Bhushan said in a letter.

“India is in a very comfortable position now due to extensive covid vaccination drive and also the entire population has now been exposed to the virus giving rise to hybrid immunity. Chinese population followed strict lockdown whenever there was a surge, so people did not get exposed to the virus. The only thing important for us is that we should follow constant surveillance and monitoring of hospitalized cases,” said Dr NK Arora, Chief of National Technical Adivsory Group of Immunisation (NTAGI).

India on Tuesday reported 69 cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 44.6 million and deaths to 530,677.

A scientist at the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said, “Everybody in India has built good immunity and T-cell immunity also takes care of human body. We don’t see that the present situation in China can affect India. We are continuing our surveillance. However, there are no samples right now and INSACOG is trying their best to collect the samples from the hospital and all these are Omicron variants which are circulating right now.” As of 19 December, Chinese authorities had reported 10 million cases of covid-19 with 31,309 deaths.

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a review meeting on Wednesday on the covid situation in India.

A senior scientist at the National Institute of Virology (NIV-Pune) said the emergence of Omicron BF7 has made the situation worse in China and it seems that Chinese authorities have not been able to manage it very well.