COVID Chaos In China: Should India Be Alarmed | 10 Points To Know
COVID Chaos In China: Should India Be Alarmed | 10 Points To Know
With China facing an extraordinary wave of COVID cases, India is on high alert as Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya held a meeting with experts and top officials to review strategy to prevent another spike in the country.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, along with experts and top officials, held an extensive discussion on the ground situation in the country as COVID cases spiked in China. (File Photo)
New Delhi: China is facing an extraordinary wave of COVID cases as hospitals were seen being overwhelmed by patients. Harrowing scenes were reported inside a number of Beijing hospitals, as the city’s healthcare system groaned under the weight of the outbreak, with most of the victims elderly people. This has caused a major concern for experts around the world. In India, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya held a high-level meeting with experts and top officials on Wednesday to review strategy to prevent another spike in the country.
India Takes Note As COVID Cases Spike In China – Top Points
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, along with experts and top officials, held an extensive discussion on the ground situation in the country as COVID cases spiked in China.
The Centre has asked the states to ramp up the the whole genome sequencing of positive cases to track the new variants. In view of the sudden spurt of cases being witnessed in Japan, United States of America, Republic of Korea, Brazil and China, it is essential to gear up the whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants,” read a letter from Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan to all states.
Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, in the letter, has said that such an exercise 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.
“In this context, all states are requested to ensure that as far as possible samples of all positive cases, on a daily basis, are sent to the designated INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories (IGSLs) that are mapped to the States and UTs,” he said.
Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and health economist, claimed that more than 60 per cent of China and 10 per cent of global opulation are likely to be infected over the next 90 days with the death count likely to be in “millions”. This has set the tone for worrying situation across the world.
Videos from China went viral on social media which showed the worsening condition in the country as overwhelmed hospitals struggled to take care of its patients.
Amid sharp rise in COVID cases in China, Congress leader Manish Tewari urged Centre to suspend all flights from the country. “Given alarming COVID -19 Situation in China Govt must suspend all flights to and fro from China ASAP. Given spike in US, Japan & South Korea & possibility of a new lethal variant emerging India should consider reintroducing COVID-19 protocols,” Manish Tewari said.
The US said it is concerned of China’s latest COVID outbreak that might spawn new mutations of the virus.
China says it has only suffered 5,237 Covid-related deaths during the pandemic, including Monday’s deaths — a number seen as extremely low, considering its population of 1.4 billion people and compared to global standards, RFA reported.
It isn’t clear how much infection numbers have increased since Beijing last week ended mandatory testing as often as once a day in many areas. But interviews and social media accounts say there are outbreaks in businesses and schools across the country. Some restaurants and other businesses have closed because too many employees are sick.
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