Covid-19: Mansukh Mandaviya tells officials to stay alert, enhance surveillance

While chairing a high-level meeting on Wednesday, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya also reviewed the decision to resume international flights from March 27; no decision, however, was taken to revoke the earlier order, said officials.

Updated on: Mar 17, 2022, 06:58:15 IST

By Rhythma Kaul, New Delhi

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday directed officials to maintain a high-level of alertness, conduct aggressive genome sequencing, and intensify Covid-19 surveillance across the country as cases reported from southeast Asia, China, and Europe increase once again, according to people familiar with the matter.

Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya. (File Photo)

While chairing a high-level meeting on Wednesday, the minister also reviewed the decision to resume international flights from March 27; no decision, however, was taken to revoke the earlier order, said officials.

“The health minister chaired the meeting as Covid cases are on the rise in nearby countries such as China, Singapore, Vietnam,, and also Europe. He issued three important directions pertaining to Covid management such as intensified surveillance, aggressive genome sequencing, and to maintain high level of alertness in the country,” said a senior official.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rhythma Kaul
Rhythma Kaul is the national health editor of the Hindustan Times. She has been reporting on public health, medicine, and medical research, with a particular focus on how government decisions and health system reforms shape people’s lives. Rhythma has over 25 years of journalistic experience. She joined Hindustan Times in 2008, and has since covered everything from pandemics and infectious diseases to cutting‑edge medical research and climate‑related health challenges. Her stories routinely track the work of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, department of pharmaceuticals, and key national health programmes, making complex medical science and policy accessible to a wide audience. One of her prominent news breaks has been the 2012 Baby Falak case: A two-year-old brutally battered baby girl was admitted to AIIMS-Delhi with severe head injuries, multiple fractures, human bite marks, and burns. The police investigation revealed this to be a case of multi-state human-trafficking racket. She was profiled by The Wall Street Journal for breaking this story. Rhythma holds a Master’s degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Prior to Hindustan Times, she worked with the India Today Group. Rhythma can be contacted at rhythma.kaul@hindustantimes.com. Her X handle is @RamblingBrook.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.