India has reported more than 1.1 million coronavirus cases since the pandemic began in December 2019 (file)
New Delhi:
Today a meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s Office to review the coronavirus situation in the country amid an increase in cases in recent days, and amid concerns that mutated strains, which originated in abroad and in India, they are more infectious, they may be circulating. in the country.
Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan was among those attending the meeting.
The increase in the number of Covid in some states comes as 240 new strains of the virus have emerged across the country; Dr Shahshank Joshi, a member of the Maharashtra Covid Task Force, told NDTV last week that the new strains could be the reason for an increase in cases in that state.
Besides Maharashtra, four other states (Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Punjab) have seen an increase in the number.
Health Ministry sources said this morning that between 800 and 900 samples, from Maharashtra and Kerala, were sent for genome sequencing in the past month.
Samples for genome sequencing, to understand the full genetics of the virus, have also been sought in Punjab and Bengaluru, where, in just the past few days, two apartment complexes have been declared “containment zones” and sealed.
So far, genome sequencing of nearly 6,000 samples has been completed.
While authorities are still unsure how many of these new cases (if any) are of the new mutated strains of the virus, government officials have admitted that India’s genome sequencing has lagged behind. brand so far, and that this should change. In the next weeks.
Last week, the center warned the aforementioned states that they should continue to practice appropriate Covid behavior, including wearing face masks and social distancing in public.
Alarmed by the increase in cases, Maharashtra has re-imposed restrictions on Amravati and Yavatmal districts, warning Mumbai of a new closure if people do not follow orders.
India has so far reported 187 cases of the British strain of the virus. The South African strain has been detected in six people and the Brazilian variant in one.
There are around 1.47 lakh of active coronavirus cases in the country, according to government data released this morning. The total number of reported cases since the pandemic started in China in December 2019 is now more than 1.10 crore, with 1.56 lakh of virus-related deaths.
Maharashtra and Kerala continue to be the worst affected states and among a few, they are seeing an increase in new cases which has concerned the center. Maharashtra has reported more than 5,200 new cases in 24 hours, while Kerala has detected more than 2,200.
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