“There should be no laxity in our preparedness. There is no room for politics when it comes to public health. The Union Health Ministry is available for every support,” he said.

Also Read: JN.1 COVID strain: Kerala sees spike in cases, WHO reassures efficacy of current vaccines. 10 things to know

As of 8 am on Wednesday, the total nationwide Covid cases reached 341, with Kerala contributing 292 cases. Delhi and Gujarat reported 3 cases each, Karnataka recorded 9 cases, Telangana and Puducherry reported 4 cases each, and Tamil Nadu documented 13 cases.

On Tuesday, Mumbai accounted for eight out of the 11 new COVID-19 cases reported in the state of Maharashtra, based on data from the Union Health Ministry.

Dr Shalmali Inamdar, an internal medicine specialist at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Andheri, told the Hindustan Times, “There has been a noticeable increase in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks. However, the cases are encountering exhibit mild symptoms such as runny nose, cough, cold and fever, which typically subside within a couple of days.”

Also Read: COVID-19 Update: 292 fresh cases, three deaths in Kerala

Dr Inamdar further informed that all the cases are manageable at home.

Meanwhile, HT reported that Dr Pratit Samdani, an internal medicine consultant at Breach Candy Hospital, said the winter season usually brings about a rise in viral infections due to a drop in temperatures. “We have seen a surge in cases of cough and cold, upper respiratory infection, and influenza in our outpatient department over the past two weeks.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya also urged all states and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure preventive measures are taken, given the cold conditions during the winter season, and the coming festival season.

Dr Subhash Salunke, who recently resigned as head of the state Covid-19 task force, stressed on virus surveillance. Salunke told HT, “Our virus surveillance has to be strong to detect the mutated virus at the earliest. Keep an eye on virulence and transmissibility.”

Also Read: COVID-19 to play spoilsport ahead of Christmas, New Year? THESE states have issued advisories for revellers

“Ensure monitoring and reporting of district-wise influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory illness cases in all health facilities regularly including in the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal, for detecting the early rising trend of cases,” read the advisory released by the Centre on Monday.

Also Read: WHO classifies JN.1 as ‘variant of interest’ amid sharp uptick in Covid-19 cases

As reported by ANI, regarding Kerala reporting the highest number of cases with a positivity rate of 21 percent, State Health Minister Veena George, present at the meeting, stated, “We have increased surveillance and also ramped up testing. We are also regularly reviewing hospital preparedness and stocks of PPE kits and other equipment. Senior citizens, pregnant women, and those with comorbidities are being advised to wear masks.”

Dr Rajiv Bahl, director, ICMR , Dr VK Paul, member, Niti Aayog and Dr Saumya Swaminathan, ex DG, ICMR are also in the meeting.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Published: 20 Dec 2023, 02:26 PM IST