The Punjab Health department on Thursday asked its officials concerned to step up the number of daily Covid testing to 10,000 in the state, amid a spikes in cases in some countries.
Meanwhile, a coronavirus review meeting, to be chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday, has been postponed and it is likely to take place on Friday, official sources said. A senior official of the health department said directions have been issued to increase daily Covid-19 testings from around 3,000 at present to 10,000.
He further said instructions have also been issued to all civil surgeons in the state to ensure that the samples of all positive cases should be sent for genome sequencing at a facility in Patiala. There are nine active coronavirus cases in the state as of now, the official said. Of the total nine active cases, two each are in Jalandhar and Muktar and one each in Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Sangrur, Faridkot and Fatehgarh Sahib, according to the medical bulletin of the health department.
Punjab has till date recorded 20,513 deaths due to Covid-19 and a total of 7.85 lakh people were found positive for the infection out of total 2.10 crore samples taken for tests. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday cautioned people against complacency and urged them to wear masks in crowded places, while also directing officials to strengthen surveillance measures, especially at international. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has sent a circular to all states and Union Territories, emphasising on whole genome sequencing of positive cases to understand the new variants of the virus.
The sudden rise in positive cases in countries such as the US, Japan, Korea, Brazil and China has caused concern among Indian authorities. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has asked people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour, including wearing masks in crowded places, and getting vaccinated.
