New Delhi: After the detection of new sub lineages of Omicron variant in India, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday directed officials to help enforce strict covid-appropriate behaviour with robust genomic surveillance.
The ordera were issued during the meeting of INSACOG officials ahead of Diwali celebrations and state elections which convened take stock of the situation with regard to the sub-variant BF.7, which led to a recent covid surge in China.
Apart from Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) scientists, officials of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), National Technical Group of Immunization (NTAGI), Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR) and the health ministry participated in the meeting to review the trend of covid cases in India in terms of hospitalization and deaths.
A biotechnology lab in Gujarat during genome sequencing detected the first case of BA. 7 that is held responsible for fueling the surge in China. Meanwhile, Kerala and Maharashtra have also reported some cases of Xbb sub-variants.