Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya stressed the importance of adequate testing – with a higher proportion of RT-PCR – effective Covid-19 surveillance to assess and control the spread of infection in a timely manner at a Covid review meeting on Tuesday. He also urged officials to closely monitor hospitalizations caused by Covid-19, according to a statement from the health ministry.
The development comes amid the discovery of various new variants in the country, including the XBB sub-variant of Omicron, cited as being ‘immunity-evasive’ by experts. Amid the festive season, social distancing and masking have decreased. However, experts warn that the worse of the pandemic may not be behind us and stress taking precautions amid the emergence of new strains of Covid-19.
Mandaviya stated during the review meeting, which was attended by top officials such as health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Rajiv Bahl, and NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul, that there was a need for community awareness for the continued implementation of the Covid appropriate behaviour (CAB). He also urged them to speed up vaccination, including providing precautionary doses to eligible beneficiaries.
Lav Agarwal, additional secretary in the Ministry of Health, gave a detailed presentation on the global scenario of an increase in Covid-19 cases, primarily in Europe, as well as an analysis of various Omicron variants worldwide.
According to the health ministry, the presentation included a detailed analysis of the Covid-19 situation in the country, including the trend of Covid-19 cases; daily cases being reported, active cases, case positivity, and testing status, as well as state-by-state weekly tests per million, including the share of RT-PCR in tests conducted.
18 Cases of XBB in Maha
At least 18 cases of XBB sub-variant of Omicron have been reported in Maharashtra in the first fortnight of October, the state health department said on Wednesday. A health official said 13 of these cases are from Pune, two each from Nagpur and Thane and one from Akola district. As per INSACOG labs’ latest report, 18 cases of XBB variant have been reported in the state in the first fortnight of October month, he said. Apart from these cases, Pune has also reported one case each of BQ.1 and BA.2.3.20 sub-variants. These cases are from the period of September 24 to October 11.
As per the primary information, all these cases are mild. It said 15 out of these 20 cases (18 of XBB and one each of BQ.1 and BA.2.3.20) were vaccinated against COVID-19 while information on the rest five cases is to be received. The BQ.1 case in Pune is of mild variety and has a history of travel to the USA.”Genetic mutations are part of the natural life cycle of the virus and there is no need to be concerned about this but to take appropriate precautions for COVID containment,” it said.
States on Edge
On Monday, following a 17.7% increase in coronavirus cases in Maharashtra this week compared to the previous week, the state health department on Monday cited the XBB variant, discovered for the first time in the country, as well as winters and the festive season, as factors that could fuel further spikes.
According to a state health official department bulletin, the XBB variant reported had “growth advantage over BA.2.75 and immune evasive property.”
Meanwhile, in view of new genetic variants of Covid-19 being reported from different parts of the world, Kerala government on Monday said it is intensifying preventive measures in the state. Kerala Health Minister Veena George in a statement said as the new genetic variants — XBB and XBB1 — of Covid-19 are more contagious than earlier ones, everyone — especially the elderly and those suffering from co-morbidities — should be more careful and wear masks properly for self protection.
Covid Still an International Emergency, Warns WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that Covid-19 is still a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the WHO’s highest alert level. The WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee said after its quarterly assessment meeting last week that despite a decline in severe cases of Covid-19, and the falling number of weekly deaths, deaths from Covid-19 nevertheless remain high compared with other respiratory viruses.
It also warned of Covid-19-related complications and post-Covid-19 conditions, with the full impact of these still not completely understood. The outbreak could also evolve during the upcoming winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, the committee said. Meanwhile, the current gaps in global surveillance of Covid-19 have hindered early identification and evaluation of the virus’ evolution. With the virus expected to continue evolving, the committee said that the genetic and antigenic characteristics of future variants cannot yet be reliably predicted. Evolving variants may pose challenges to current vaccines and therapeutics, the committee warned.
“Given the above considerations, the committee concurred that continued coordination of the international response is necessary,” and considered that “the situation remains dynamic and requires frequent reassessments, and that the termination of the PHEIC, when considered feasible, should be implemented as safely as possible.”
The committee recommended that there should be three key priorities in the future: strengthening surveillance and achieving vaccination targets for at risk-groups; continuing to increase access to affordable therapeutics; and strengthening pandemic preparedness planning, while continuing to protect the most at-risk groups.
With inputs from agencies
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