CM Basavaraj Bommai holds high-level review meeting on Covid

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai along with State health minister Dr K Sudhakar held a review meeting on Thursday regarding the Covid-19 situation in the state.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai along with State health minister Dr K Sudhakar held a review meeting on Thursday regarding the Covid-19 situation in the state.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai along with state health minister Dr K Sudhakar holds a review meeting , in Belagavi on Thursday. (ANI)

"In the wake of new variants being found in other countries, Union Health Ministry has directed states to send samples of all new Covid cases for genomic sequencing and we have already taken measures to implement the same," Karnataka Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar had said on Wednesday.

He further added that certain precautionary measures need to be taken in the wake of the global situation since Karnataka has a high inflow of international passengers.

READ | Indian Medical Association advises people to avoid public gatherings, international travel amid fresh Covid-19 scare

"We will have to take certain precautionary measures in the wake of the global situation. Karnataka has a high inflow of international passengers. We will start screening passengers there. While we have achieved 100 per cent coverage in two doses, the precautionary dose is yet to be taken by a lot of people," he said.

He had further appealed to the citizens to get their booster shots.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a high-level virtual meeting to review the COVID-19 situation and its related aspects in the county.

READ | Many states bring back mask mandate, push for Covid booster vaccines

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Miniter Mansukh Mandaviya and NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Parameswaran Iyer were among others who participated in the meeting.

The meeting comes a day after Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the coronavirus situation in a meeting with high-level officials. He urged people to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated against the virus. Emphasizing that COVID-19 is not over yet, he asked the officials to be fully geared up and strengthen surveillance.

There has been an alarming surge in Covid cases in China, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United States. The spike is blamed on the new Omicron sub-variant BF.7, which has also been detected in four Indian states.