Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Wednesday appealed to residents in the state to take the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine amid the spike in cases in other countries.
The Minister also said that the state government will monitor COVID-19 cases in the state and send samples to INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) to detect new strains of the virus.
"The sudden spurt in COVID cases in some parts of the world is a reminder for us to stay vigilant against the pandemic. As many in our state are yet to take their precautionary dose, I urge everyone to remain protected by taking their doses," Sudhakar said in a tweet.
Sudhakar’s statements come after Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday said that the pandemic was not over and directed officials to be alert about new strains and strengthen surveillance.
"KIAL has a high inflow of international passengers. We will start screening passengers there. While we have achieved 100% coverage in two doses, precautionary doses are yet to be taken by a lot of people," a statement from Sudhakar's office stated.
"Measures have been taken to send samples for genomic sequencing to trace new variants as per the centre's guidelines. A high-level meeting will be chaired by the Chief Minister to discuss next steps,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry has also written to the states to ramp up the whole genome sequencing of positive cases to track the new COVID variant.