The Maharashtra health department on Thursday night said 2 per cent of the international passengers arriving at the state’s airports will be tested randomly amid concern of a possible spike in COVID-19 cases due to detection of the BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron which is said to be driving the latest surge in infections in neighbouring China. The state government has not made masks mandatory for people, but has advised their use by elderly persons and high-risk populations, including those with comorbidities (having existing illnesses), the health department said in a statement. A state task force has been formed to guide the government for expert inputs, while district authorities have been asked to review the situation at their own level through existing committees. District administrations and civic bodies have been asked to ramp up testing and every positive RT-PCR swab sample should be sent for genome sequencing to detect any new variant, the health department added. Genomic sequencing is a laboratory test that can map out the whole genetic makeup of a virus from a patient’s swab sample. Officials in every district have been directed to ensure that all life-saving equipment like ventilators and oxygen plants are functioning properly, said the statement. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, Health Minister Tanaji Sawant and Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan reviewed the coronavirus situation along with senior state government officials at a meeting in Nagpur, where the winter session of the state legislature is currently going on. On the current COVID-19 situation in the state, the health department said new cases are declining. The cases last week were 30 per cent down as compared to the 7-day period before that, while the positivity rate, or cases detected per 100 tests, in the state was 0.29 per cent, said the statement. At present, Maharashtra has 132 active cases, according to the daily COVID-19 bulletin issued by the health department. Last week, only 16 COVID-19 patients needed hospitalisation in the state, it said.
