Mansukh Mandaviya directs high alertness, aggressive genome sequencing as COVID-19 cases spike in Asia, Europe

Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in some European and East Asian countries, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday directed officials to maintain a high level of alertness and surveillance, and carry out genomic sequencing aggressively.

At a high-level meeting, chaired by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the government's decision of resuming scheduled international flights from March 27, the vaccination situation and the level of genomic surveillance were reviewed.

China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, South Korea are among the South East Asian countries witnessing a rise in COVID cases.

The two-hour-long meeting was attended by the head of India's COVID-19 task force Dr VK Paul, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, ICMR Chief Dr Balram Bhargava, Principal Scientific Advisor K Vijay Raghavan and Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.

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"Given the rising cases in China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, and some European countries, a high-level meeting was held by the Union health minister with senior government officials and experts. The minister has directed aggressive genomic sequencing, heightened surveillance and a high level of alertness," an official source told PTI.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI)