In light of the identification of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus globally, senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) convened on Monday to conduct an assessment of the situation.
Chaired by P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, a high-level assembly was held to evaluate both the worldwide and domestic Covid conditions, the emergence of new variants in circulation, and their potential impact on public health.
Emphasis was placed on the fact that over the past week, a total of 296,219 new Covid cases were reported globally. In contrast, India, accounting for nearly 17 percent of the global population, only recorded 223 cases (0.075 percent of the global new cases) during the same period.
Daily average of new cases in India remains under 50
It was communicated that the daily average of new cases across the entire country continues to remain under 50, coupled with a weekly test positivity rate of less than 0.2 percent.
Moreover, insights into the genetic sequencing of diverse variants currently circulating in India were also provided.
After thorough discussions, Mishra underscored the stability of the Covid situation in the nation and the readiness of the public health systems. Nonetheless, he stressed the importance for states to closely monitor trends in ILI/SARI cases, submit adequate samples for testing, enhance genome sequencing efforts, and vigilantly track the emergence of new global variants.
The Health Secretary presented an overview of the global Covid scenario, highlighting specific novel variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus like BA.2.86 (Pirola) and EG.5 (Eris), which have been reported internationally.
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He pointed out that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the EG.5 (Eris) variant has been identified in more than 50 countries, while the BA.2.86 (Pirola) variant has been detected in four countries.
In attendance were Vinod Paul, Member of Niti Aayog; Rajiv Gauba, Cabinet Secretary; Amit Khare, Advisor to PMO; Sudhansh Pant, Health Secretary, and other senior officials.
