Covid-19 surge in China and other countries: Union health minister chairs high-level meeting

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, sources said, during the meeting directed the authorities to do aggressive genome sequencing of samples to detect possible new variants circulating in the community.

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 16, 2022 08:11 PM IST

Delhi News Live: DDMA likely to further ease Covid-19 curbs in after Friday meeting

A health worker collecting swab samples for Covid-19 testing, in New Delhi. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

With the new surge in Covid-19 cases being reported in several countries, including China raising an alarm bell for India, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting with top members of India’s Covid-19 task force and directed them to maintain a high level of alertness in the country, the Indian Express has learnt.

While the Indian government is monitoring the situation closely about the new wave in Covid-19 cases being reported in China, South Korea, Singapore, and a few European countries —— on Wednesday, the first official high-level meeting was held with top members of the Covid-19 task force to discuss the evolving global scenario of a fresh surge in cases.

Mandaviya, sources said, during the meeting directed the authorities to do aggressive genome sequencing of samples to detect possible new variants circulating in the community. Additionally, Mandaviya asked the authorities at the local level to intensify the surveillance of cases for early identification of hotspots in India, sources said.

The meeting was attended by head of India’s Covid-19 task force Dr V K Paul, AIIMS Director Dr. Randeep Guleria, ICMR Chief Dr. Balram Bhargava, Principal Scientific Advisor K Vijay Raghavan and Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.

At present, India is reporting a continuous decline in Covid-19 cases. On Wednesday, the country reported only 2,876 new cases; and the country’s active caseload declines to 32,811.

However, in stark contrast, in China, the surge in the highly transmissible Omicron infections has prompted the authorities for strict lockdowns in the country. The country has reported over 15,000 new cases in the last two weeks. Similarly, South Korea, on Tuesday reported a record 4 lakh new Covid-19 cases; the country in the last one week has reported an average of over 3 lakh daily new cases.

Kaunain Sheriff M

As City Editor ( Delhi) at the Indian Express, Kaunain Sheriff leads city reporting with a sharp focus on accountability journalism, data-driven stories, and ground-level impact. As the National Health Editor he leads the newsroom’s in-depth coverage of pressing health issues. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, a definitive investigation into the accountability of one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical corporations. Areas of Expertise Investigative Reporting: Has deep expertise in investigative reporting spanning public health, regulatory affairs, drug safety, and the criminal justice system. His work sits at the intersection of governance, law, and accountability, with a particular focus on how regulatory failures, institutional lapses, and policy decisions affect citizens’ rights and safety. Data Journalism: Has extensively on big data–driven investigations, including analyses of flagship government schemes and large datasets on criminal trials, uncovering systemic gaps. Global Collaborations Kaunain is a key contributor to major international journalistic projects: The Implant Files: Collaborated with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) to expose global malpractices in the medical device industry. Chinese Big-Data Investigation: Uncovered how a foreign data firm monitored thousands of prominent Indian institutions and individuals in real-time. Awards & Recognition His commitment to "Journalism of Courage" has been recognized with the industry's highest honors: Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism SOPA Award (Society of Publishers in Asia) Red Ink Award (Mumbai Press Club) Indian Express Excellence Awards (Triple recipient for investigations into the NSA abuse in UP, Vyapam scam, and the anti-Sikh riots). Education: Studied Mechanical Engineering at Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Bangalore, before moving to Delhi to pursue his passion for journalism. His engineering training informs his analytical approach, enabling him to decode technical, legal, and data-heavy systems with precision. Social media LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kaunain-sheriff-3a00ab99 X ( fromerly Twitter): @kaunain_s ... Read More

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