Karnataka has taken measures to implement Centre’s Covid-19 guidelines: Sudhakar

December 21, 2022 08:58 pm | Updated December 22, 2022 09:58 am IST - Bengaluru

A file photo of a nurse attending to a patient at K.C. General Hospital in Bengaluru.

A file photo of a nurse attending to a patient at K.C. General Hospital in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain

Following the Union Health Ministry’s letter to all States to expedite whole genome sequencing (WGS) in the wake of the sudden spurt in COVID-19 cases in some countries, State Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar said Karnataka has already taken measures to implement the same.

 “Measures have been taken to send samples of all positive cases for genomic sequencing to trace new variants as per the Centre’s guidelines. A high-level meeting will be chaired by the Chief Minister to discuss the measures to be taken next,” the Minister said.

In a letter to Additional Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries (Health) of all States and Union Territories (UTs), Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Tuesday referred to the COVID-19 surge being witnessed in Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of Korea, Brazil, and China. “Genome sequencing will enable timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country and will facilitate undertaking of requisite public health measures for the same,” the letter stated.

“The sudden spurt in COVID-19 cases in some parts of the world is a reminder for us to stay vigilant against the pandemic. We will have to take certain precautionary measures in the wake of the global situation. The Kempegowda International Airport Ltd. (KIAL) has a high inflow of international passengers. We will start screening passengers there. While we have achieved 100% coverage in two doses, precaution dose is yet to to be taken by a lot of people. All those who are yet to get their booster shots should voluntarily come forward and take it,” Dr. Sudhakar said.

Stating that the Centre is constantly monitoring the global situation, he said: “We are prepared to face any kind of situation. We will take all necessary precautions and new guidelines will be released in this regard soon.”

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.