Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a review meeting today (Thursday, December 22) with regard to Covid situation in the country. The high-level meeting has been called after four cases of Omicron sub-variant BF.7 were confirmed in the country (two each in Gujarat and Odisha). The variant is driving the present massive surge in Covid cases in China.
The meeting will be held at around 3:30 pm in the afternoon.
The development comes a day after Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the coronavirus situation and asked people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, including wearing masks in crowded places, and getting vaccinated.
Official sources have said random sample testing will be done at airports for international passengers arriving from China and other countries. There has been a sudden spurt in Covid cases in China and some other countries.
Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in Japan, South Korea, Brazil, China and the US, the central government had on Tuesday (December 20) urged all states and Union territories to gear up the whole genome sequencing of positive samples to keep track of emerging variants.
In a letter to the states and UTs, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said such an exercise will enable timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country and will facilitate undertaking of requisite public health measures.
Public health challenge of COVID-19 still persists around the world with around 35 lakh cases reported weekly.
