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Testing to genome sequencing: Here's how India is preparing for Omicron variant

The Centre, post a review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday with top health officials, directed states to take rigorous efforts to combat the threat of the potential Omicron variant outbreak.

Testing to genome sequencing: Here's how India is preparing for Omicron variant File photo

New Delhi: With the emergence of the new ‘Omicron’ variant of the coronavirus, India has stepped up in conducting vigilant screening and COVID tests of the international as well as the domestic travellers. The Centre, post a review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday with top health officials, directed states to take rigorous efforts to combat the threat of the potential variant outbreak.

Here are 10 points about the steps taken by the Centre to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant.

  1. All the nations with confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of the virus have been kept in the "at-risk" category for additional follow-up measures of travellers coming to India.

  2. The Health Ministry directed the states to conduct rigorous COVID-19 testings. “Ample testing infrastructure needs to be operationalised to tackle any surge due to this mutated virus,” the ministry statement read.

  3. Continuous monitoring of hotspots and states where an abundance of positive cases have been found. The Centre also instructed that saturation testing is needed at hotspots and all positive samples should be sent to labs for genome sequencing.

  4. Strict implementation of intensive containment, active surveillance, increased coverage of vaccination and Covid-appropriate behaviour by all the states

  5. The Centre has said that there is already a mechanism in place to track past records of international travellers with the help of airlines and such movements must be monitored by all states.

  6. States have been directed to maintain a daily positivity rate below 5%.

  7. States have also been asked to be prepared for health contingencies with adequate availability of such facilities.

  8. INSACOG labs, which is short for Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium labs have been set up to monitor the variant circulating in the country.

  9. States have been directed to address the public regarding COVID-19 concern proactively and regularly through press briefings and state bulletins.

  10. States are requested to optimally use financial support provided by the government," the centre said in the statement.

The World Health Organisation has classified the new variant, which was first detected in South Africa, as the 'variant of concern.

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