India steps up vigil as Covid infections increase globally
Hindustan TimesAll patients admitted to district hospitals across India for respiratory ailments will have to undergo testing for Covid-19 and the samples that return positive will then be sent for genome sequencing as part of India’s efforts to heighten its surveillance amid a global surge in infections, people familiar with the matter said. All respiratory cases undergoing treatment in district hospitals, including those suffering from SARI and ILI will be tested for Covid-19 using the RT-PCR technology,” a senior government official said, seeking anonymity. On Wednesday, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a high-level meeting with officials in the health department and directed them to maintain a high level of alertness and surveillance, and carry out genomic sequencing aggressively. “Discussions are also underway on how to conduct aggressive genome sequencing across the country, such as identifying a particular percentage of samples in a stipulated period of time, or adding more sentinel sites or labs to be able for early detection of any circulating variants,” the official quoted above said.