Due to an alert by the union government over a spike in coronavirus cases in other countries, the Karnataka government will soon start screening passengers at the Bengaluru airport.
Story so far: Karnataka is getting ready to ramp up the booster dose programme, send COVID-19 test samples for genome sequencing, and shortly begin screening travellers at the airport in Bengaluru. The Union Health Ministry has instructed states to send samples of all new Covid cases for genomic sequencing in response to new variants being discovered in other countries, and the government has already taken steps to put this directive into action.
- Dr K. Sudhakar, the minister of health and medical education, claimed that some countries, notably China and Japan, are witnessing an alarming rise in cases.
- Hospitalization rates in China have been particularly concerning.
Covid cases: India has reported the most Covid cases worldwide, second only to the United States, with more than 4.4 crore cases to date. However, in recent months, the number of confirmed infections has dramatically decreased, with roughly 1,200 cases currently being recorded each week.