NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, December 22,  said Covid was not yet over and directed heightened surveillance, especially at international airports, for the timely detection of transmissible virus variants, if any. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla  advised all MPs to wear masks and follow the Covid protocol completely in view of the increasing number of cases of Covid-19 in several countries, especially in China Chairing a high-level meeting following a Covid surge in China and some other countries, the PM gave five messages to attending ministers, states and the public — increase genome sequencing and Covid testing levels; ensure hospital readiness; follow Covid protocols; mask up in crowds; and administer booster doses with priority to the elderly and the vulnerable. The meeting decided to go in for random testing of 2 per cent of all foreign arrivals from Saturday to detect any fresh variants rather than ban flights to and from the affected countries. However, kids under 12 have been exempted, if asymptomatic.

Sources said the Covid situation would be monitored and a call taken later whether the Air Suvidha tool should be revived in respect of nations witnessing a surge. Air Suvidha forms mandated inbound international travelers to give details of RT-PCR tests conducted 72 hours prior to travel and their vaccination proof.

At today’s meet, attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and top officials, the PM monitored preparedness of health infrastructure, status of Covid vaccination and emergence of new Covid-19 variants and their public health implications. “The PM cautioned against complacency and advised strict vigil. He said Covid was not over yet and directed officials to strengthen the ongoing surveillance measures, especially at the international airports,” a PMO statement said. NITI Aayog Member (Health) VK Paul briefed the meeting on India’s steady Covid decline over a year with average daily cases falling to 153 and weekly positivity down to 0.14% in the week ending December 22. However, 5.9 lakh daily average cases had been reported globally for the last six weeks, the PM was told.

The PM stressed the need for readiness of Covid infrastructure at all levels and advised states to audit Covid-specific facilities to ensure operational readiness of hospital infrastructure, including oxygen cylinders, PSA plants, ventilators and human resources. He also directed officials to ramp up testing and genomic sequencing efforts with states already advised to send all positive samples to the genome testing labs. This is expected to support timely detection of variants, if any, and speed up response. For citizens, the PM urged Covid-appropriate behavior at all times in the wake of the festive season ahead and called for masking up in crowded public places.

India has so far detected four cases of BF.7, a subvariant of Omicron, currently driving the Chinese surge and known for high transmissibility. Earlier today, Mandaviya briefed Parliament about the surges in China, US, Japan, France, Greece, Italy and South Korea.

(Source: Tribune)